Before it's Too Late
by TheAmbitiousWriter
Summary: Flung far from Camelot by Morgana's wrath, Merlin lands in a small village far from everything he knows. After recovering, he learns of a plot to kill Arthur and take the throne of Camelot. Can he find his way back to Camelot before it's too late? Set in the middle of season four somewhere.
1. Bad Dreams

DISCLAIMER: I own many things, but Merlin is not one of them.

" _Álíefan mec æt lóclóca wiðinnan sé ætforanweall Camelot ond æalá sé æfteronfónd hátan Merlin_." Morgana gazed into her scrying bowl and watched as the water rippled with magic, then cleared to show the serving boy she despised. She smiled. A spell this complicated would be tricky, but it would be worth it. Camelot would finally be hers. Morgana frowned as a thought occurred to her. What if Emrys didn't go after Merlin?

"He will," she said to herself. "He has to." She focussed on the spell she needed and glared at Merlin. Oh, how he would regret all the things he had done to her. Using the scrying bowl, she had witnessed Merlin throw himself in front of Arthur just a mace was about to hit him from behind, as he and a band of knights were fighting a group of bandits. She had enjoyed Merlin's pain then, but it had not helped her. If this spell worked, however, Camelot would kneel before her.

Morgana focussed on the now unconscious Merlin and began the spell.

" _Æt sé cnyssung middelniht on þes dæg, álíefan hine æt béon áworpennes fram æðelcyning ond carseld, ond áfindan gig ánhaga beinnan sé ælfolc feorlic æðelcyning, feorlic Camelot, feorlic sy Merlin_." She smiled. At midnight, Camelot was as good as hers. In her scrying bowl, Merlin woke suddenly, and although Morgana was concentrating on her spell and did not see, his eyes glowed gold for the merest second. Then sleep claimed him again, and he did not wake for a very long time.

oOo

Merlin had absolutely no idea where he was. The scene kept changing. He saw many unfamiliar lands, unfamiliar faces, and some faces he thought he knew, but everything was flashing by too quickly for him to be sure. Sometimes he even saw himself, as though he were somewhere outside his body watching himself do things. But it was all moving so fast. Eventually, it all swirled together, faster and faster, until Merlin felt like he was falling through it all.

He felt himself land. To his surprise, the scene stayed put, and everything seemed unusually clear. He was on a mountaintop, a barren, rocky summit surrounded by stormclouds. He could see someone kneeling in the centre of a circle of weathered stones, but he couldn't be sure who it was. Then the person looked up, and Merlin saw with a start that he was looking into his own face, smeared with tears and what looked like blood.

"I wasn't fast enough," said the other Merlin. "I couldn't save him…" Then Merlin looked down and saw what Other Merlin had been talking about. For in a sudden flash of lightning, the person Other Merlin was kneeling over was revealed.

It was Arthur.

" _Arthur!_ " Merlin yelled, sitting straight up in his bed. He looked around him in surprise; he didn't remember getting into it. Then again, he didn't remember much of anything before the dream…

Merlin swung his legs over the edge of the bed, intending to get up and check on Arthur. Immediately, his head started to swim and a jolt of pain went up his left shoulder. Instinctively, his hand went to the spot, feeling a rough bandage tied there. When he pulled his hand away he was astounded to find traces of blood on it. What had happened?

"G-Gaius?" he managed, and he heard the old physician come rushing (well, I say rushing) to his surrogate's aid.

"Merlin? I thought I heard you cry out before…" Gaius trailed off. "You're awake!"

"What happened, Gaius?" Merlin asked weakly.

"Don't you remember? You were accompanying the king on his hunting mission when you ran into a group of bandits, or so Sir Leon tells me. He said Arthur was taking on eight men at once, and a ninth crept up behind him, seen only by you. Apparently, you jumped in front of the king and took a mace for him!"

"I did?"

"Well, I for one am not surprised. You're the only one I know who could be so _foolish_ -" Merlin slumped in shame. "-and so _brave_ -" Merlin sat up straighter. "-at the same time."

"Thanks… I think."

"Well, I'm just glad you're awake. It's been a trying three days."

" _Three days_?!"

"You had lost a lot of blood. I'm not surprised. Although I had hoped you would wake sooner, as I didn't have nearly enough time to tend to my other patients."

"Wait, why not?"

"I had to look after you. And make sure Arthur didn't sneak in again. I actually had to order him as his physician to go and get some rest. Besides, I didn't want him to be there after the first day was over… that's when things took a turn for the worse."

"Gaius, start from the beginning. What exactly happened?"

"Arthur came in here carrying you, and I didn't need the look on his face to guess what had happened. He had done his best to bind the wound and prevent infection, but try as he might, Arthur will never be a great physician. After I cleaned the wound and applied a poultice, I told Arthur that you needed rest and would probably wake in a few day's time.

"But he wouldn't go, as much as I urged him. He stayed all through the first night, and the next morning, he came to me and said you were calling out in your sleep. Sure enough, you were having a nightmare. I'm not going to ask what it was about, but I heard Arthur's name many times.

"I ordered him to go home and get some rest, for anyone could see that he was asleep on his feet. He argued, but I finally managed to get him to capitulate. He left, with the assurance that after a good night's sleep he could come back. But I am glad I sent him away, for the next night was the worst.

"Your wound was worse than I had first thought, Merlin, and went deeper than it appeared. For someone else, it might have been fatal, but your magic reacted strongly against it, trying to keep you alive. Your nightmares seemed to get worse, and that and your magic making things whizz around the room made it especially essential that I keep everyone out. Especially Arthur.

"He tried to get in, but I posted Gwen at the door to turn him away. As much as he might like to, I knew he couldn't refuse her. And on the third night, you seemed to calm down enough for him to return, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I'm glad I didn't let him in, for although your accidental magic was lessening, your nightmares got so bad that I had to get Gwaine to tie you to the bed, so you wouldn't thrash and make your wound worse.

"Needless to say, Gwaine wasn't very happy when he left, as he got quite a kick to the jaw from you, and he asked me never to tell Arthur, seeing as he would never let him live such a thing down."

"I kicked Gwaine in the jaw? Wish I'd been awake for that…"

"I'm glad you weren't, considering all the profanities that kick got out of him." Merlin laughed. He could just see Gwaine hopping around in fury and cursing his ill luck. Then the young sorcerer paused. Something was niggling at the back of his mind.

"Gaius?" Aware of Merlin's sudden change in mood, Gaius prepared the 'eyebrow of doom'.

"Yes, Merlin?"

"My nightmare… I don't think it was a normal dream, it was… it seemed important…" He frowned, trying to remember. Then, suddenly, his dream came crashing back to him. "Gaius!" he half-yelled. "I remember! I was there… and Arthur… Oh, Gods, Gaius, he was… I couldn't…"

"Merlin," Gaius said in his I'm-sorry-but-I-need-you-to-explain-more voice.

"He was dead, Gaius." Merlin's voice cracked with the strain of holding back his sobs. It had seemed so _real_.

"Now, Merlin," soothed Gaius, "it was only a dream. Arthur's fine."

"That's… that's what you told Morgana," said Merlin, "and look what happened to _her_!"

"You think it was a vision of the future?"

"That's what it felt like."

"Now, Merlin, we need to deal with this rationally…" The physician trailed off as he realised Merlin was in the process of leaving the room.

"I'm going to find Arthur," said the warlock. "I've got to warn him."

"And how will you explain to him that you had a dream of the future? You'll be accused of sorcery before you know it!"

"I'll find a way," said Merlin with more confidence than he felt.

"Merlin, wait!" cried Gaius, but the young sorcerer was already gone.

oOo

The door was thrown open with a _crash_. Arthur looked up at the sound and automatically said,

"Don't you know how to knock, Merlin?" before he remembered the last time he had seen Merlin. The already pale servant had looked so bloodless that Arthur at first feared he had to be dead. But Gaius had reassured him that Merlin still lived, and he would do his best to keep it that way.

Arthur had stayed with the boy all night, and had almost fallen asleep by Merlin's bedside when the servant unexpectedly yelled,

" _Arthur_!"

Arthur sat bolt upright.

"Merlin! What…"

Then he saw that the boy still slept. He must be having a nightmare.

"Arthur…" cried the servant once more, and his face showed so much anguish that Arthur found himself choking back a sob on behalf of the poor boy.

"I'm fine, Merlin," he said, his voice shaky. "I'm right here, and I won't let anything happen to you."

Merlin seemed to calm down, and no longer cried out in his feverish dreams. But Arthur vowed then not to leave his side until the boy had recovered. Unfortunately, Gaius had gotten him to leave by invoking the 'eyebrow of doom'. No matter how much Arthur tried, that eyebrow always freaked him out in the end and he would follow its owner's orders.

Now Arthur wondered why Gaius had allowed Merlin to leave so soon after waking, for the servant had clearly not fully recovered yet. His face was still unnaturally pale (even for Merlin), and every movement of his left shoulder was followed by a small gasp of pain.

"Merlin," Arthur asked, "What do you think you're doing here?"

"I was… checking to see if you were alright," Merlin sounded like there was something he wasn't saying, but Arthur dismissed it; the boy had only just recovered, after all.

"I'm fine, Merlin." Arthur paused. "Is this about your dream?"

"W-what?" If it was possible, Merlin went even paler. "How…"

"How did I know? I was… checking to see how soon you would be back at work," Arthur lied, "and I heard you call my name. I figured you were having a nightmare."

"Oh," said Merlin, and a bit of colour returned to his face. "Em…"

"What?"

Merlin opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. "Nothing. I just wanted to know when you wanted me back at work."

Arthur frowned. There was something Merlin wasn't telling him.

"Well," he considered, "you can't very well polish my armour with an injured shoulder, so why don't you begin work after it's healed enough for that, in about… eight days?"

Merlin gaped.

"It's just that I don't want you making an even bigger mess of things than you usually do," Arthur said quickly.

"Eight… _days_?!"

"Shut up, Merlin."


	2. The Twelfth Chime

Despite Arthur giving him a ludicrous amount of time off, Merlin stayed and helped with some small jobs that didn't require too much exertion. He really didn't want to go back to Gaius, who would likely insist that he spend eight days doing absolutely nothing, and Merlin couldn't cope with that much boredom.

So it was for this reason that Merlin found himself in Arthur's chambers at midnight, doing all the menial tasks he loved to complain about, but didn't really mind doing, as they kept him from a life of extreme boredom.

And the chain of events that Merlin subconsciously dreaded came to pass, as the bell rang out the first of twelve tolls.

 _Dong._

"Ow!" The warlock gasped in surprise. Something was _pulling_ at him.

 _Dong._

"Merlin," groaned Arthur, "I'm trying to sleep."

"It's not my fault," replied his servant. "There's something― OW!"

 _Dong._

"What's wrong?" Arthur sat straight up in his bed and reached for his sword.

 _Dong._

"Something's _pulling_ at me!" Merlin suddenly found himself on the floor, unable to keep his balance any longer.

 _Dong._

Without warning, the yellow light of the torches flashed and turned blue, like a dark flame that gave off shadows instead of light.

 _Dong._

Arthur could feel… a _presence_ in the room, something that felt familiar, but he didn't know why.

 _Dong._

The dark flames leapt higher, and Arthur wondered that they failed to set the room ablaze.

 _Dong._

"OW! Arthur, help!" Without thinking, Arthur leapt to his servant's aid, but found that there was nothing he could do.

 _Dong._

"Merlin, I… I don't know what to do!" Arthur stood there, feeling utterly useless.

 _Dong._

Both servant and master looked up from the former's internal struggle as the sound of cold, malevolent laughter pierced the suddenly frigid air.

 _Dong._

"Morgana," breathed Arthur. "What's she doing?"

 _Dong._

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted as the blue flames were snuffed out, leaving the room darker than before. The king stumbled forward, trying to locate his servant by touch.

"Merlin? Where are you?" His hand found the window frame and he thrust open the curtains, freeing the moonlight which soared into the room, happy to bathe everything in its silvery glow.

"Merlin?" Arthur turned and saw what he had denied to be true, he saw what he had known would happen ever since he felt his sister's presence, he saw this and he fell to his knees, feeling so keenly the loss of the one with whom he would trust his life.

Merlin was gone.

oOo

"Look, Peryana! A shooting star!" Karanth raised her hand and pointed at the silver streak that flew across the sky.

"Make a wish," said her mentor, and disappeared back into the cottage. Karanth closed her eyes and thought about what troubled her so.

"O Kyannor," she said to the Moon Goddess, "Please, don't make me marry Ranathyr in a fortnight. I don't love him." She thought for a moment, then added,

"Find him another suitor, one prettier than me, and I'm sure he'll be happy. Or, or you could send one of your stars to help me, to… to take me somewhere else…" Karanth paused. She liked her home well enough, but it was all she'd ever known. She wanted to escape into the world, to see all the wonderful things described to her by passing merchants. Karanth was wondering how to convey all this to Kyannor what she heard a loud crash. A few heartbeats later, the ground shook under her feet.

The shooting star had fallen to Earth.

Karanth looked up at the moon, whispered, _Thank you_ , and ran towards the woods the star had fallen into.

After a good ten minutes of searching, she came across a crater about ten metres across and almost as many deep. At the bottom lay an unmoving figure.

"Hello?" she called down. There was no response. Karanth slowly slid down the side of the crater and approached the figure. It was definitely a man, she saw now, who looked about… nineteen? Twenty? Karanth didn't know. He had hair the colour of the night sky, and something within him seemed to glow, as if he wasn't entirely human.

"Did… did Kyannor send you?" asked Karanth. The star didn't move. _Of course_ , thought the girl, _he just fell from the sky. I bet that hurt._ She moved a little closer. He was definitely wearing strange clothes for a star. What was that piece of red fabric around his neck?

"I'm Karanth," she said, unsure if the star could hear her. "I'm the one who made the wish." He still did not stir, and she wondered if he was injured. Could stars be injured?

"Do you want me to take you to my home?" she asked. "If you're hurt, I could treat you. I'm a Healer's apprentice." Karanth did not wait for a response this time. She gently placed her arm underneath the star's head and began to lift him up. He let out a faint moan, the first noise she'd heard from him, and this lifted her spirits greatly.

"Don't worry," she told the star as she half dragged, half carried him out of the crater. "I'll take care of you."


	3. A Fallen Star

He could remember a vague sensation of falling, falling so far, he wondered if he'd ever hit the ground. Had he hit the ground? He couldn't remember. He tried to sit up, to move, if only a little bit, but pain wracked his body and he lay still once more. There was someone, someone who needed his help, who was it?

Arthur.

With that one thought, he drifted back from the edge of consciousness, and found himself in a small room not dissimilar to his old home in Ealdor. Ealdor? What was that? Merlin found himself struggling to remember. His own name he knew, and the name Arthur seemed important to him, but he could not bring to light anything else. Not even who he was. Then he realised that someone was speaking softly to him from their place beside his bed.

"I hope you wake soon. I'm looking forward to meeting you, I mean really meeting you, like when you're awake and stuff. I don't know if you can even hear me, but I don't really have anyone else to talk to…" The girl stopped when she noticed his bright blue eyes trained on her.

"Whoa, how long have you been awake?"

"I don't know. A few minutes." Merlin's voice was hoarse from lack of use. "Who…" He coughed. "Who are you?"

"Oh, my name is Karanth. What about you?"

"I'm Merlin," he replied, and was pleased that he could remember his name, at least.

"That's a strange name. I mean, I suppose it's not strange where you come from, but…" Karanth trailed off, obviously aware that she'd been rambling. "Where _do_ you come from?"

"From… from Camelot, I think," Merlin said.

"Cam-e-lot?" Karanth repeated slowly. "I've not heard of that." She paused, as though she were about to say something rather silly.

"Is it… is Camelot in the sky?" the girl asked sheepishly.

"What?" Merlin was very confused at this point.

"It's just… you fell from the sky," explained Karanth, "and if Camelot is in the sky and you fell from there maybe because you heard my wish and Kyannor sent you down here to help me get away and…"

"Whoa," said Merlin, "slow down."

"Are you a star?"

Merlin looked into the child's wide grey eyes.

"I don't know," he said. "I… I can't remember…"

oOo

A few days passed, and still Merlin had not fully recovered from his fall. Karanth was especially worried about his left shoulder; it appeared to have a previous injury that had been worsened by the force of his landing.

She still hard a hard time convincing Peryana that the pale stranger in her bed was really a fallen star who had lost his memory. But when she showed her mentor the crater she had discovered him in, Peryana accepted that perhaps there was some truth to the girl's story.

Merlin himself was having a difficult time. Memories bubbled just below the surface, hovering just out of his reach. Sometimes he would get flashes, but they would fade before he could make sense of them.

Karanth had discovered that Merlin had broken his leg in the fall.

"You're lucky it wasn't worse than this," she had said. "I suppose you were unconscious at the time, so when you hit the ground you were relaxed, meaning you weren't injured as much."

Despite this, Merlin had to spend the next seven days in bed because of his leg. He was enchanted by Karanth's seemingly boundless energy, and it occurred to him that she reminded him of himself at a younger age. She certainly was as clumsy as he. It was the girl's clumsiness, in fact, that led to him rediscovering his magic.

"I made soup," she said, picking up the bowl of said soup, "and I have some books if you get bored." Karanth unwisely tried to balance both the soup and the stack of books at the same time, resulting in the unbalanced soup bowl tumbling out of her hands.

Merlin didn't even stop to think. He instinctively thrust his hand out (his right one), his eyes flashed gold, and the soup bowl stopped in midair.

Karanth was so surprised she dropped the books.

Merlin was so surprised he dropped the soup.

"I'll get the mop," breathed Karanth, and she disappeared into the adjacent room. Merlin dropped his hand and sat back against the pillow. What had he just done? The action had felt familiar, as though he had performed it hundreds of times before. It had a name, he knew, but somehow that name invoked a fear in him he didn't understand.

Magic.

Why did he feel like that very word was dangerous? Why did he feel the need to keep it a secret? Merlin didn't understand. His head hurt, like the memories that would answer his questions were trying to come up but couldn't.

"I've never seen anything like that before." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Karanth?" She stepped out of the doorframe, a mop clutched tightly in her ten-year-old fist.

"How did you do that?" She didn't sound afraid, just curious.

"I-I don't know," he replied. "I just did."

"It was magic," she said, "and more powerful magic than I've ever seen."

"What kind of magic have you seen?"

"Our village sorcerer, he's supposed to be the most powerful spellcaster for miles around, but he's nothing compared to you."

"Village sorcerer?" The words sounded… _wrong_ to him, and he wondered just how far from home he was.

"You didn't even use an incantation," Karanth went on. "You just seemed so… _natural_ , like you were in you element." She didn't mention what else she had seen. Merlin's eyes had blazed a bright gold, the colour of the sun. The colour of the brightest star she knew of. Torqwyn, the village sorcerer, did something similar when he worked magic, but his eyes glowed more of a pale yellow.

In Merlin's eyes she had seen true power concealed within his skinny frame. Power that rivaled the Moon Goddess herself.

And Kyannor knew.


	4. Wrath of the Moon

**So, when I was in the middle of writing this chapter, CHARLES CHUKU brought it to my attention that I had not yet written anything about how Camelot was coping with Morgana, as they haven't got Merlin to protect them. The truth is, I was so caught up in Merlin's adventures that I completely forgot the imminent doom hanging over Camelot! I did write a bit about how Arthur is dealing with Merlin's loss, but I haven't gotten Morgana to attack yet; as I feel like that should happen later, when Merlin has recovered more.**

"Who is this mighty warlock that dares show his face in my lands?" seethed Kyannor. If there was one thing she could not tolerate, it was those with power greater than that of herself.

 _He is Emrys_ , whispered the Fateseeker. _He is true power in mortal form. He is the fear in men's hearts and the joy in their souls. He is_ ―

"Shut _up_ ," Kyannor snarled. "I have no time for your endless riddles." She peered down through the oceans of the sky and her gaze rested upon the Fateseeker's 'Emrys'.

"I have never seen such raw power," she said, almost to herself. "I will not let him outshine the moon!"

 _You cannot hope to defeat him. He holds the very power of the Earth itself. Nor can you corrupt him, as you have so many others; for Emrys possesses a truly pure soul, a rare thing among men._

"I don't care," raged Kyannor. "As long as he walks in the moonlight, he will feel my wrath!"

The Fateseeker saw the anger of the Moon Goddess and shivered. The destiny of the Once and Future King was in grave peril, for it was Fateseeker's duty to know such things. Never before had he interfered in the fates of others, but the future of Albion herself hung in the balance.

He must warn Emrys.

oOo

"Sire," huffed Sir Leon, just back from a patrol, "we have reports that Morgana's army is on the move. She is now only a few days away."

"Does it matter?" murmured Arthur quietly. His face was that of a man who had lost all reason to hope.

"Y-yes, Sire," Sir Leon choked out. Ever since Merlin's disappearance, the king's mood had shifted between different phases of despair. First, he had ordered all the men he could spare to search for the missing servant. When they had all returned with nothing to show for their efforts, he had yelled at them to _keep looking anyway_.

After seven days had passed, there was still nothing, and Arthur had fallen into the deepest sorrow Leon had ever seen his king face.

"Why? What can she do? She's already taken Merlin, what else can she do?" His voice betrayed the utter hopelessness he felt.

"Well, Sire, we still need to protect Camelot. I… I'm sorry, Sire, but I'm afraid Merlin is…"

"Don't ever say that," Arthur's head shot up and his features were contorted in rage and pain. "He is not dead, Leon. Do not ever say that."

"Y-yes, my lord," said a very confused Leon.

"I will get him back. I don't know what Morgana has done to him but I swear, I swear by my honour, by my throne, by my kingdom, that _I will_ _get him back_."

Far away, Merlin woke with a start, the words ringing in his ears.

 _I will get him back_.

oOo

Vaguely, Merlin wondered who the people in his dream had been. He felt like he knew them somehow, especially the blond one, but his memories stubbornly refused to resurface.

Just then, he heard a noise like a whisper from just outside the hut.

"Hello?" he called. "Karanth?" The girl had gone out to find firewood not long before, and he doubted that she would be back this early. Merlin gently placed weight on his pretty-much-healed-but-maybe-not-quite leg, and although it was a bit wobbly (seeing as he hadn't been on it in a week), it did not hurt.

He slowly stood, testing out his leg, and scanned his surroundings for the source of the noise. Suddenly, it spoke again, much louder this time.

 _Emrys…_

Merlin felt a jolt of surprise at the name. He _knew_ that name, that was… that was _his_ name! His other name, the name he had forgotten until now. He walked unsteadily to the door and peeked out into the twilight.

 _Emrys…_

There was nothing. But Merlin thought he saw, for a moment, a flash of deepest black, like a dark cloak sweeping over the forest floor. He ran after it.

Merlin did not know how long he chased the voice, but he found himself on the edge of a deep crater in the middle of the woods. He wondered what could have made such a huge, gaping hole in the lush, green forest.

 _You did._

"I did?" Merlin echoed, and a few heartbeats later it struck him that he had heard the voice inside his mind.

 _This is where the Earth caught you after you fell from the heavens, Emrys. You are her son, a being of magic, and she caught you despite the damage to herself._

"Who… who are you?"

 _I am the Fateseeker. I have come to warn you._

The trees parted, bending over as though they were living, sentient creatures, revealing a tall figure cloaked in shadow. He looked up, and Merlin saw with a start that he had no eyes. His face, white as death, displayed a long, thin nose and a mouth that looked as though it had never smiled. But where the eyes should be, there was only skin, smooth and featureless, that covered the sockets completely. Merlin let out a small yelp of surprise and horror.

 _I do not need to see the physical world_ , said the Fateseeker as though he had sensed the warlock's thoughts. _I gave that up long ago for the power to see fate itself, the twisting strands of destiny that tie the very fabric of the world together._

"Why," gasped Merlin, "do you need to warn me?"

 _These lands are the Moon Goddess's ancestral home. She cannot bear to see one more powerful than she walk the places she calls her own._

"But I'm not that powerful,"

 _Lord Emrys, you have no idea of the destiny that ties you to the Once and Future King. To this thread all others are tied; for even the slightest shift of your_ ― _and your king's_ ― _fate will cause chaos in Albion for millennia to come. Kyannor has no idea of the forces she plays with. Albion's destiny hangs by a thread._

"Please, I don't know what you mean!"

The being paused and appeared to study Merlin (which is creepy without eyes). He then proceeded to speak in a less intense and ominous voice.

 _The witch did more than simply cast you out, I see,_ said the Fateseeker. _She has poisoned your mind, tried to steal your very being. You cannot save Albion like this, for you do not remember what Albion is._

"I-I've lost my memory," Merlin stuttered. "I don't know what…"

 _You did not lose it, Emrys. It was stolen from you._

"Stolen? By who?"

 _The witch Morgana. I fear I cannot restore it, for she has your memories in her clutches and I cannot leave Kyannor's lands. But she did not take your magic,_ he added suddenly, _and your strongest memories are linked to it._

"That's why I can remember little snippets of things," realised Merlin.

 _I can transfer some of my power to you temporarily, Lord Emrys, and the raw power I hold would be enough to jerk back those memories that are linked to your magic._

Merlin thought about this.

"Is it dangerous?"

 _Very._

"I don't know…"

 _It is your choice to make._

Merlin thought about Karanth, waiting for him back at the hut. He thought about the day he'd woken up and first seen her lopsided smile. Then he thought about the one name he could remember, _Arthur_ , and he decided.

"Let's do it."

The Fateseeker stepped forward, and it took all the strength Merlin possessed not to take a step back in apprehension. The apparition lifted his hands to Merlin's temples and breathed a few words in the language of the Old Religion.

All at once, Merlin could see… _everything._ The future and the past flashed by him too quickly to distinguish, and he saw things that could have been, and things that had yet to be, and things that were happening at that moment close and far away. He saw a king being crowned and he saw Karanth collecting firewood. He saw a great battle of the past, and he saw himself growing up in a small village.

It was too much.

Barely registering the tears that flowed freely down his face from shimmering golden eyes, he fell to his knees. The Fateseeker watched (I don't know how, but he did) carefully, unsure if the young sorcerer would survive the ordeal.

Merlin gasped as he saw all of time laid out before him, and before he could do more than whimper _Arthur_ , he was engulfed in blackness.


	5. The Journey Begins

Morgana had attacked earlier than they had expected. She must have pushed her army to the very limit, for they reached the Darkling Woods two days earlier than they should have. She did not even allow them more than a night's rest, signalling the attack at dawn.

So it was that the knights of Camelot did not know of her approach until it was too late. She led her armies to the gates and opened them with a word. Valiant knights charged at her and her men, but she cast them aside as though they were nothing more than flies buzzing around her head. She reached the citadel and flung open the doors to the throne room.

And the Last Priestess of the Old Religion faced her brother, the Once and Future King. He did not even look up as she strolled into the hall..

"My, my, Brother," she taunted, "you really have let things go. Once upon a time, it wouldn't have been so easy for someone to enter Camelot. And now that you're king, you can't even turn away an army."

"Where's Merlin." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Aw, have you lost your pathetic excuse for a servant?" Morgana sneered. "Poor little Arthur can't do anything by himself. What would you do if little Merlin happened to have an… _accident_?" Arthur's eyes widened, and Morgana decided to keep toying with him a little longer.

"Camelot would be in ruins within a day if you had to manage without your servant. I wonder what you'd do if he were dead?"

"You're lying," snarled Arthur, and Morgana knew she had struck a sore spot. "Merlin is not dead. He _can't_ be."

Morgana threw back her head and laughed, and the sound brought Arthur back to the day when Merlin had been taken. It was the same laugh.

oOo

Karanth was walking back to the hut with the firewood she'd collected, when her foot caught on something solid and she found herself face-down on the forest floor. She stood quickly; she was quite used to tumbling over due to her extreme clumsiness. But when she bent over to retrieve the wood she'd dropped, she gasped in shock and horror. She hadn't tripped over a root sticking out from the soil after all.

Karanth had tripped over Merlin's unmoving body.

Leaving the firewood abandoned, she bent down to see if he was alright. Without warning, he gasped for air, and his eyes fluttered open. Karanth took a step back when she saw that they burned with the golden light that rivaled the suns. It did not dissipate, however, but blazed for a few more minutes before fading back into the familiar blue.

"K-Karanth?" He sat up, pressing a hand to his head. "Ow… Blimey, my head…"

"Merlin, what happened?"

"I… I remember!" He stood shakily, a look of victory spreading across his face. "I remember everything… Oh, Gods, Arthur… I need to get back. Morgana's planning something, something _big_ …"

"You're leaving?" Karanth should have known he couldn't stay forever. But she could not bear the thought of her star leaving forever.

"I'm sorry, Karanth, I have to. Camelot is in danger."

"Can I come with you?" Karanth burst out. "I-I'm meant to be married in a few day's time, but I don't love Ranathyr, and all I really want to do is travel and see the world, and I―"

"Slow down," said Merlin. "Yes, you can come with me, if you really want to. But I should probably warn you, bad things seem to happen when I'm around."

"I don't care," said Karanth, giddy at the thought of running away with the star. "I'd get bored otherwise." And the two walked back to the hut to prepare.

oOo

There were no horses in the village, so the pair had no choice but to go on foot. After packing about a week's worth of supplies, Merlin realised that they had a problem. He had no idea in which direction Camelot lay.

"Well, to the north are the snowy wastelands of Pertana," said Karanth when he asked her about the surrounding lands, "and to the south, mainly marshland. Beyond that is supposed to be the Land of Fire, where the mountains explode in flames, but none of us have actually gone there."

"Understandable," replied Merlin. "But I've never heard of any of those places."

"Okay, well, to the west is the kingdom of Oran the terrible…"

"Em, no."

"And east is just… forests. If you go that way far enough, you'll draw even with the coast, and somewhere in that direction is the Great Desert of Kaladuen."

"Kaladuen… I'm sure I've heard that before," said Merlin. He still did not have all his memories back, but the name Kaladuen sounded familiar.

"I think Albion must lie to the east," Merlin decided.

"Then let's go," said Karanth, and she picked up a pack holding some of their supplies, gesturing that he should do the same. The pair walked out of the village towards the rising sun, and Karanth did not cast one backward glance at the village where she had spent all her life.

oOo

After two days of travelling, they came across a lake. It was not too wide, perhaps a few leagues to the other side, but it was deep, and very long. There was no way they could walk around it without adding quite a lot of unwanted time onto their journey.

"We'll have to build a boat," declared Merlin, and the two got to work on the desired craft. Merlin used his magic to fell a couple of nearby trees for wood, and Karanth began fashioning a few branches into oars when Merlin said,

"I don't think we'll need those. I can make it go… you know, with magic."

"Oh," said Karanth, feeling a little silly. "Maybe we should bring them anyway, just in case."

"Okay," said Merlin, but Karanth got the feeling he was just being nice. Still, something told her it would be better to bring the oars. What if they were attacked on the water, and Merlin's magic was needed to fend off the enemy while Karanth rowed them away? It couldn't hurt, after all. So she carefully stowed the oars in the bottom of the boat when Merlin had finished assembling it, in half the time it would have taken without the use of magic.

" _Ic níedhæs sé ærendscip æt ácweccan_!" said Merlin, and the boat began to move. Karanth listened to the faint rippling of the water and began to doze off, when she looked up and saw the moon above her.

"Merlin," she said, alarmed.

"Yeah?" he replied, though he was focussing most of his attention on moving the boat.

"It's… it's the daytime."

"So?"

"So why is the moon out?" Merlin looked up, startled, and lost his grip on the spell. The boat stopped moving as he looked open-mouthed at the silver disk hanging in the clear blue sky. He opened his mouth to say something, probably along the lines of _What on Earth…?_ when a scaly hand erupted out of the water and grabbed the warlock's arm. He yelled in surprise as he slammed against the side of the boat, causing the small craft to rock violently.

"Merlin!" Karanth grabbed the oar (she'd known it would come in handy) and whacked the webbed hand with all her might. Something under the water screeched loudly, and the hand was withdrawn.

"What," panted Merlin, "was _that_?"

"I don't know," said Karanth, "but I think there's more of them." Sure enough, a multitude of scaled limbs were soon clutching at the boat, trying to drag it and its occupants under the water.

Merlin fended off most of them with his magic, but even he could not keep such numbers at bay for long. Karanth swung the oar at everything that came near the little boat. She was just beginning to hope that maybe, they could just get out of this situation alive when she felt something pulling on her long, brown hair.

"Mer… Merlin!" she shrieked as the creature tugged harder.

"Karanth! Hold on!" cried the warlock, and he dived off the side of the boat, straight into the creature's side.

The thing's grip on her hair receded, and Karanth's head snapped forward. She held up the oar, ready to fend off more attackers, when she saw that there were none. Not above the surface, at least. Underneath, she could see them darting about, a terrifying mix of fish and person, nothing at all like the mermaids she'd read about in stories. She wondered why they were weren't attacking her, and then she saw him.

"Gods! Merlin!" she sobbed, seeing the young sorcerer thrashing under the waves. He was trying to swim back to the surface, but the fish-people kept dragging him down again. The lake water was so clear that she could still see him, although he had to be many fathoms down by now.

Karanth watched helplessly as his struggles grew weaker and weaker, until he gave no more resistance but let the creatures drag him down into the dark waters of the lake-bottom.

 _I can't let this happen,_ Karanth said to herself. _I must save him._ So she took a deep breath― the deepest she'd ever taken in her ten years of life― and dove after him. She swum as deep as she could, willing Merlin to be okay, he _had_ to be okay, until her lungs felt like they would burst, and she felt a strong, scaly pair of arms drag her into the murky depths.

 **So in the reviews for this chapter, my ever-faithful reviewer CHARLES CHUKU wanted to know why Arthur went down without a fight. The answer is, he was really so distraught over Merlin's loss that he didn't even care anymore. He's a shell of a man. I try not to write too much Merthur into my fics, but whenever I put them in the same room together, it just happens. So enjoy the next chapter, and remember, reviews are love!**


	6. What Lurks in the Depths

He couldn't breathe. That was all he could think of as he struggled to get back to the surface. How long could he hold out without air? Merlin looked up and saw Karanth leaning over the edge of the boat. She was yelling his name. Relief surged through him at the knowledge that whatever happened, at least Karanth was safe.

His vision was beginning to get dark around the edges. Involuntarily, he let some of the air in his lungs out as his body screamed for oxygen. Merlin barely felt the creatures drag him into the depths of the lake. He barely heard Karanth screaming from the surface. All he knew was that he could not breathe, and as his lungs filled with water and his vision darkened to nothing, Karanth's face filled his memory. And then even that faded to utter nothingness.

He awoke to more darkness, but this was the dark that filled the deep places of the earth, not the crushing darkness that hung over him when he had been dragged into the deep waters.

Merlin sat up, and immediately started coughing. He sucked in a great gasp of air, and wondered where he was and why he wasn't dead. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear the slow _drip_ of water and the cold stone beneath him.

It suddenly occurred to him that he was sitting in four centimetres of cold water. He stood, and tried to get a feel for his surroundings. It was definitely a cave, and probably underwater at that.

"Léoht," he whispered, and light shone from his hand, illuminating the dark cave with its harsh white glow. He wandered over to a hole in the floor of the cave, which was filled with water. _So that's how there's air in here,_ thought Merlin.

Once, while helping Gwen with the dishes back in Camelot, he'd been messing around (like always) and discovered that if he thrust a goblet upside-down into the water, it would create an air pocket inside and the goblet would still have air inside, even though it was underwater.

The same principle seemed to be applied to the cave. The hole was on the bottom, so to get out you swum down, around, and up. But Merlin knew he was too far from the surface to try it― he'd drown before he ever reached it.

He was trapped.

oOo

Merlin was trying to find an exit to the cave― other than the one he'd come in― when he stumbled across Karanth, who was unconscious in a far corner of the cave.

"Karanth! Karanth, can you hear me?" He shook the young girl vigorously until she stirred, coughing water out of her lungs.

"Merlin?" she asked hoarsely. The sorcerer broke into a lopsided grin, and Karanth couldn't help but smile as well. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Some kind of cave under the water. But…" Merlin said, remembering. "I saw you in the boat. They dragged me down, but they didn't get you…" He looked at her questioningly.

"I-I'm sorry, Merlin," Karanth replied, "They didn't get me, but… I couldn't just _leave_ you."

"So you jumped in after me?"

"Yes."

"That's alright. I probably would have done the same."

They were interrupted by a hissing noise coming from the pool. Merlin whirled around and unconsciously stepped in front of Karanth to protect her. A scaly head broke the surface of the water, still hissing.

"Merlin," Karanth's whisper was barely audible. "I-I'm scared." The warlock was a bit taken aback at this, for Karanth's level of maturity quite matched his own most of the time. He had forgotten how young she really was.

"It's okay," he told the young girl. "It'll be fine."

 _Come with me, Emrys._ The voice echoed loudly inside his head. He stared at the fish-person, who stared back with equal intensity.

"Where? Why should we go with you?" Karanth gazed at him, confused, and Merlin realised that she could not hear the creature's voice. "It's speaking to me," he explained. "In my head." She nodded, though she looked worried.

 _Our mistress, the Moon Goddess, has ordered your capture. We are to bring you before her._

"Kyannor?" Karanth asked after Merlin translated. "Why does she want us?"

 _Tell the youngling that I myself do not know. My superiors are the ones who came into contact with the Mistress, not me. I am merely carrying out the orders that she gave to them._

"He doesn't know." Merlin translated for Karanth.

 _Now, come with me. Bring the youngling._ The creature disappeared beneath the water but it was still watching them, making sure they would follow. Merlin hesitantly walked over to the pool, Karanth close behind him.

"Em, we can't breathe underwater," he informed the fish-person.

 _A solution has been devised. Come._ Merlin sat on the edge of the pool, reading himself for the inevitably cold water, when he felt Karanth pulling gently on the back of his neckerchief.

"Merlin," she whispered, "What does it want with us? Where are we going?"

"I don't know, Karanth," the warlock replied, "but I think we ought to follow it. We don't want to land ourselves in even more trouble."

"But how will we breathe?"

"It said it had found a way for us to breathe," Merlin said. "I just hope it works." And he disappeared into the still water with hardly a splash. Karanth was more frightened without him at her side, so she filled her lungs with air and dove after him.

For a few seconds, she floundered in the water without knowing which way was up and which way was down, but then she felt someone grab hold of her arm― not a scaly, slimy someone, but someone whose touch was warm and comforting― and she looked up into Merlin's blue eyes.

He gestured that they should swim after the rapidly disappearing figure that was the fish-man, and soon they found themselves underneath a little rocky overhang. At one point, it sloped up into a tiny cave filled with air. It was barely big enough for them to fit both their heads under, but both gladly gulped in the oxygen.

In this way, swimming between tiny pockets of air where they could breathe, the two humans and the fish-person made their way to the presence of the Moon Goddess. It appeared to be a large stone temple that could have been built on the surface, but was now resting at the bottom of the lake. The stones were partially eroded, but that took away none of the splendour of the building.

One turret had fallen on its side and come to rest on a large stone, creating space underneath. There were no windows in the turret except for on the bottom, where a large hole allowed the three swimmers access. Due to the irregular slope of the tower and the property that Merlin now referred to as the 'Goblet Property', the tower had a large air pocket at the top.

Once Karanth and Merlin had taken their places at the top of the fallen turret, the part of the structure that was filled with water slowly began to accommodate more and more fish-people. Unaware that Merlin was especially sensitive to what they were saying, the fish-people talked loudly amongst themselves until Merlin's head spun with their voices.

"Are you okay?" Karanth's voice broke into the mutterings of the crowd.

"Y-yeah, I'm… I'm fine," he murmured. "My head hurts, is all."

Karanth's face displayed her anxiety, but she never got a chance to voice it. For at that moment, a woman in billowing white garments strode into the room. She didn't seem to have a problem with breathing underwater. Her dark hair floated around her in a shining halo, and her face was even paler than Merlin's. She was very beautiful, but her silver eyes flashed with anger and malice.

"Emrys," she spat, in a voice that was so leaden with hatred that it felt to Merlin like a dagger piercing his heart, "We meet at last. Behold Kyannor the Moon, for you shall not live to see another face!"


	7. A Pure Soul

The fish-people were kind to Karanth. They guided her back to the surface and tried to console her (she thought, she couldn't understand what they were saying), but she did not want their sympathy.

She wanted Merlin back.

Despair threatened to engulf her as she remembered what had taken place beneath the lake. The Moon Goddess, with all of her terrible power directed at Merlin, and Karanth had been powerless to stop her from, from… it didn't bear thinking about. She could only watch as Merlin, as her _friend_ , probably the only friend she'd ever have, had fallen prey to the Moon Goddess's fury.

She didn't even know if he was dead or alive. For all she knew, the blinding light that hid both Merlin and Kyannor from view could have taken them far, far away, and she'd never see her friend again.

A fish-person suddenly broke the surface of the lake and thrust a freshly caught fish at her. She said thank-you and tried not to gag at the 'gift'. _I'll have to make a fire_ , she thought, _and then I can roast it_.

Karanth found herself missing Merlin even more as she gathered firewood to light the fire. He would have made do with a pile of wet sticks and just said a spell to ignite the wood. She'd seen him do it enough times that she even knew the exact words.

" _Forbearnan_ ," she whispered, rather bitterly, to see if the spell would work for her. As she expected, nothing happened. Karanth had no magic of her own; she was only a Healer's apprentice, never to amount to anything. Until she had met Merlin.

 _You are more powerful than you think, Karanth, though you do not possess magic_. The young girl jumped at the unexpected voice.

"Hello?" she called. The was no one nearby and yet she had heard the voice as clearly as though the speaker were standing next to her.

 _Emrys needs you, Karanth, more than ever before._

"Who… who's Emrys?"

 _He is known by many names. To you, he is Merlin._

"How can I help him? I'm just… I'm no one."

 _Everyone has a destiny. You must find yours._ The speaker stepped out of the shadows and Karanth shouted in fear, for he had no eyes. Impossibly tall, wrapped in a black cloak, he gave off an aura of incredible age and power. For he was the Fateseeker, and he sensed Albion's peril once again.

 _Kyannor has taken Emrys to her realm, for few can follow her there. She wishes to bestow on him a lingering death, but this we cannot allow, for his death would create a state of chaos in Albion, and the Once and Future King would be lost._

"I don't understand."

 _You must enter the realm of Kyannor and save him, or all is lost._

"Why must I? Why… why can't you do it?" The question sounded childish, even to herself, but Karanth was scared.

 _It is not a physical place. Kyannor has not taken Emrys's body, she has taken his soul._

"What? You mean… his body is still around here somewhere?"

 _It is here. But his soul is trapped in the realm of the Moon._ The Fateseeker gestured towards a familiar form, half hidden by shrubbery. Karanth gasped, for it was―

"Merlin?" She ran over to him. He was still breathing, but only just. Something did not seem right about him, though, and then Karanth realised that the aura of power she had seen in him when they had first met was gone. It simply was not there. Suddenly, the Fateseeker's words made a terrible sort of sense to her.

"I must save him. Please, take me to Kyannor's lands! I have to find him!"

 _I am afraid I cannot guide you. The Moon Goddess's realm is a place only the spirit can enter, and I have none._

Karanth looked at the Fateseeker afresh. Could a being really live and breathe, and yet have no soul? Her gaze rested on the shallow dips were the eyes should be and she shuddered. She believed it.

"Then help me find this place," she whispered.

 _That I may do. But you must remember that Kyannor's realm is not a real place. She will attempt to deceive you with tricks of the mind, but if your soul is pure, you may survive._

Karanth did not hesitate for even a second.

"Send me to the Moon's realm," she said. "Send me to Kyannor."

oOo

 _Merlin felt different. He couldn't feel his body anymore. He felt as though he were flying and falling at the same moment. Then he looked up and saw the moon, and the moon grew bigger and bigger until it filled the sky, and then it became a huge eye looking down at him._

Oh, young warlock, _laughed the silver voice of the moon,_ you should never have come here.

 _I didn't mean to, Merlin tried to say, but his voice didn't work. Then Kyannor reached out and caught him, and he could not escape. His very consciousness was imprisoned by the malevolent spirit. Then she took him to her own realm._

 _The realm of the Moon was similar to the physical world. It wasn't a real place, but it copied the physical world very well. The silver chains that bound him felt solid enough. Merlin took a deep breath and inhaled pure fear. It felt like every time he had ever been scared in his life, but all at once. And it didn't stop._

 _He screamed, not a scream of pain or even one of fear but of undiluted terror._

 _And the Moon smiled._

 _Then came the grief. It washed over him in wave after wave as he relived the deaths of Will, of his father Balinor, of Freya. He watched as Arthur and Gaius and Gwen all died before him, and he cried out to the Moon for mercy. But she only looked on his sufferings with pleasure._

 _But unbidden came a face to Merlin, amidst his torment. He saw her lopsided smile, her grey eyes flashing with laughter. He heard her pure voice ringing out amongst the trees, and remembered what he felt in her presence. For with her, he knew what it was like to have a sister._

Karanth.

 _He thought her name, thought it with all his might, and then she was there._


	8. Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire

Arthur didn't know why Morgana was keeping him alive. She said she was waiting for one called Emrys to come to Camelot, and he was the bait. Arthur tried to tell her he didn't know anyone by that name, but she only laughed.

So he languished in his own dungeons, and his thoughts turned to Merlin. Not once did he speak to his comrades in captivity, nor acknowledge them at all. They worried, but they did not disturb their king's musings. Much.

"Something wrong, Princess?" Gwaine tried to get a response out of the eerily quiet Arthur. But engrossed in his thoughts, the man did not answer. Then the moon, its silver light a comfort to all others in the cells beneath Camelot, found its way through the barred window and splintered across the room. And Arthur stared into the silver light, _through_ the moon's pale glow, and he saw him. He saw Merlin.

Then Arthur heard him scream.

"No! _Merlin_!" The king staggered to his feet, shrugging off a concerned Gaius. "I'm not crazy! I saw him!" he said in response to the physician's unasked question. "I _heard_ him! He's in trouble! Gaius," Arthur calmed a little, "I swear by my throne, by my honour, by… by _everything_ , I saw him."

"I believe you, sire," replied Gaius, who had no doubt that it was Merlin Arthur had seen. What he didn't know were the circumstances of the situation. "Did you see anything else?"

"I saw… there was a girl, a child, with him… He called her Karanth." Arthur didn't mention what else he had seen in the moonlight. He didn't tell Gaius about the woman, her eyes cold as steel, watching in undisguised delight as Merlin screamed.

"And you saw it in the light of the moon?"

"Yes."

"I wonder…"

"Gaius?"

"There is powerful magic at work here, my lord, forces even beyond Morgana. I fear that someone has angered the Moon Goddess… and if she seeks revenge, may the gods help us all."

Arthur remembered his vision in the moonlight, and he shivered. Whether it was by some magic of the Moon Goddess, or fear for his servant, for once in his life, Arthur was truly scared.

oOo

A pure soul. A pure soul. _The Moon Goddess could not believe her eyes. The girl, only ten years old, had just performed the most selfless act she had ever seen a mortal even think of attempting. And the Fateseeker's words ran through her mind once more:_

...for Emrys possesses a truly pure soul, a rare thing among men.

 _Perhaps it was not as rare as he'd thought. Karanth had no idea of the power a pure soul held. Perhaps she would not even care. For to save Merlin, someone she had met but a few days past, she had placed herself at the mercy of Kyannor._

 _Bound by the ancient laws that mortals had forgotten and the gods still feared, Kyannor had no choice. She had to let them both go._

A pure soul.

 _Then she noticed someone watching. Arthur Pendragon had glimpsed the battle. The Moon smiled. The king was broken, a shell of his former self. Perhaps, she thought, all was not lost._

 _For though Arthur was the Once and Future King, who would unite the land of Albion, there was one thing he lacked. One thing the shadow of his father had blotted out._

A pure soul.

oOo

Merlin woke quite suddenly, and opened his eyes on darkness. Night had fallen during the excursion to the realm of the Moon. But when he tried to sit up, he found something amiss.

He was tied to a tree.

 _Oh no,_ he thought. _Just my luck. I escape the Moon Goddess just to be captured by bandits. How likely is that to happen anyway?_ He heard a groan next to him and turned his head, expecting to see Karanth beside him.

Instead, there sat a tall, light-haired stranger. He was very tan and had deep green eyes. He was dressed in a ragged travelling cloak and some mismatched armour that he had pretty obviously stolen. There was a large bump on the side of his head, an indication that he had been knocked out.

"Em… who are you?" Merlin asked warily. The stranger's head snapped around and his eyes widened; he obviously hadn't expected anyone else to be there.

"I― what?" he stuttered, very confused.

"I'm Merlin," said the warlock, trying a different approach. "What's your name?" The stranger opened his mouth to reply when he was stopped by a high shriek coming from somewhere nearby.

"Let _go_ of me! I have to find Merlin!"

"Karanth!" Merlin called, panic rising. She came into view, a large, rough-looking man dragging her behind him.

"Merlin!" she cried, almost sobbing with relief. But as more bandits came into the clearing, her expression wilted into fear.

"Pretty little thing, innit she?" said the man who appeared to be the leader of the gang. "Is she yours?"

"I don't belong to anyone!" yelled Karanth. "Let me go!"

"Please, you can do what you like with me, just let her go. She's only a girl," Merlin found himself rambling.

"I don't think so. I know a few slave-traders who would just _love_ a gal like her."

"Let her go. Now." Merlin commanded, feeling his magic rise up inside him. "Or else."

"'Or else?' Ha! Or else what?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Merlin's eyes blazed a bright gold, brighter than the sun, and a wave of magic rippled out from him. The bandits were flung back by the sheer force of it, and the ropes binding Merlin― and the mysterious stranger― burned away.

"Come on," the warlock said to the stranger. "We've got to get out of here before―"

"You… you have magic," breathed the stranger.

"Yes, I do. Now will you _get up_? Or do you want to deal with those lovely fellows' friends?" The stranger started to get to his feet, but it was too late. Shouts filled the forest as the bandits came across the unconscious bodies of their friends, and soon they found themselves surrounded.

Merlin readied himself for another blast of magic, but then his eyes found a sight so horrific that all thoughts of using magic drained away from him.

The lead bandit, having recovered from the magical onslaught, held a dagger to Karanth's throat.

"Don't move, or she dies," the bandit growled, and Merlin dropped his outstretched arm. Instantly, a bandit grabbed him from behind and snapped a pair of iron manacles around his wrists. Merlin felt his magic recede in the presence of the hated metal. He was powerless.

The lead bandit laughed, a cold, mirthless sound.

And stopped.

He looked down at the sword protruding from his chest, and his eyes met the deep green eyes of the stranger, who seemed just as surprised as everyone else.

Then chaos ensued.

Merlin found himself flat on the ground, doing his best not to be trampled by the horde of bandits, who seemed helpless without their leader. The stranger cut down many of them in their haste to flee from the forest clearing.

And then, quite suddenly, they were alone. All the bandits were dead or escaped, and the stranger stood among the moonlit trees silently.

Without a word, he undid the iron manacles that bound Merlin, and ignoring the young sorcerer's thanks, went to see if Karanth was alright. Only then did he acknowledge their words.

"You saved my life. Both our lives," Merlin said.

"Well, I have some skill with the sword," the stranger muttered shyly.

"Nonsense. You were incredible, you could be a knight of Camelot!" Merlin said excitedly, then sobered when he remember how far from home he was. The stranger's confusion showed on his face, but he did not ask.

"What's your name?" Merlin asked, suddenly remembering his manners. "You never told me before. Oh, you already know me, Merlin, and this is my friend Karanth."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the stranger replied formally. "My name is Galahad."


	9. I Don't Remember

_Gaius._ The physician woke to a voice he had not heard since the time of the Great Purge. A voice he had hoped never to hear again. He looked around; everyone else still slept. So he stood, and faced the Fateseeker.

"You." That was all he said. All he needed to say.

 _Yes, physician. It is I._

"Why have you come?"

 _Emrys stands in great peril once more._

"And what do you expect me to do about it?"

 _I fear Kyannor the Moon will seek her revenge through the Once and Future King. This cannot be allowed._

"Arthur?"

 _I fear so._

"Last time you came to me, your advice almost resulted in the death of Merlin's father. Why should I trust you now?"

 _Because you have no choice._

The Fateseeker spoke these words and was gone. Gaius sighed. If he trusted the Fateseeker or ignored his tidings, either way might lead to disaster.

What could he do?

oOo

"So, Galahad," panted Merlin as the three wanderers made their way up a steep slope, "Where exactly do you come from?"

"I come from a very small village. You've probably never heard of it."

"I know the feeling." They stopped at a small stream that ran down the hill to refill their waterskins. "I was born in Ealdor, this tiny little place, far from here. It's not much to look at, but the people there have hearts of gold."

"Ah. My village was similar, though it bore a different name."

"Was?"

"It was destroyed by bandits. They burned the place to the ground. I alone escaped."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It was many years ago. I swore I would never be so defenceless again. So I taught myself the way of the sword, of the mace, of the quarterstaff. Every way of fighting I came across, I practised until I could match any man."

"Yes, I saw what you did last night." Merlin paused. "So… where are you going?"

"You're very inquisitive."

"Yeah, most people say I talk too much."

"I'm not going anywhere in particular. Just wandering. Where are you two heading?"

"Camelot."

"And where is that?"

"Oh, I think it's east of here…" Without meaning to, Merlin found himself telling Galahad all he could remember about his home. But frighteningly, the warlock found himself able to remember very little about his past.

Arthur… Gaius… Gwaine… Merlin struggled to remember the names of his loved ones. For one heart-stopping second, he could not bring to light his mother's name.

Hunith. His mother's name was Hunith. The young sorcerer sighed.

"Something wrong, my friend?"

"Maybe. But if there is, I don't remember."

oOo

Arthur woke to find Gaius covering the one small, barred window in the dungeons with a cloak. _His_ cloak.

"What are you doing?" The physician jumped and turned.

"I don't want any moonlight getting in."

"Must you use _my_ cloak?"

"There isn't anything else." The physician turned back to his bizarre chore and Arthur sighed. Sometimes he wondered if everyone was slowly going insane down here. The king turned onto his side and sleep claimed him once more.

 _He could see Merlin, a young girl, and a strange man. They were travelling through a land filled with forests and rolling green slopes. The man talked about a small village that he had grown up in._

 _Arthur knew he was dreaming, but nevertheless he wanted to shout, to yell Merlin's name, anything to make him look over and see his king. He wanted to though he knew it would do no good._

 _He listened to the conversation for a few minutes more, then he saw something glinting in the trees. A crossbow._

Merlin!

 _His servant stopped, looked round as though he had heard something but he didn't know what it was. His eyes played across the hills, the forests, passed right over Arthur without really seeing him, and then the cobalt irises were trained on the crossbow, glinting in the sun._

" _Karanth! Galahad!" he cried, the names foreign to Arthur's ears. "Get down!" And then the bolt was singing through the air, straight towards the heart of the one called Galahad._

 _Too surprised to move, the man stared down his rapidly approaching death. But before anyone else could move or speak, Merlin was there, forcing Galahad to the ground. He cried out as the bolt nicked his arm, and Arthur winced._

"Arthur?"

The voice was irritatingly familiar. Arthur opened his eyes and focussed them on the source.

"Gwaine."

"Had a nightmare, Princess?"

"Sort of… I don't know." The king sat up, one hand held to his head. "I… I saw _Merlin_."

The knight's eyes widened.

"Merlin?"

"Yeah. I dreamt he was with two others, a man and a girl, and then someone shot at them with a crossbow, and Merlin was hit, and…" Arthur trailed off.

"Doesn't sound too good." Gwaine sat down next to his king. "Did you eat too much before bed?"

"Shut up, Gwaine."


	10. The Dragon's Revelation

Darkness. And a burning pain in his arm. That was all Merlin knew. It was his right arm, the one he used for everything, even though he was left-handed, because being left-handed was often connected with sorcery.

 _And Arthur thinks I'm just rubbish with a sword,_ he thought. _Funny what goes through your mind at times like this._ He had heard Arthur's voice, though, he was sure of it: just before the incident he had heard the king's voice.

 _Merlin!_ It still rang in his ears, igniting fragments of memory within him. He remembered the coronation, just after Uther's death; he remembered the day he had met Arthur, when the future king had tried to kill him with a mace.

 _Merlin!_ It was Galahad's voice he heard now, rigid with fear for his friend. The two had become close so quickly, it was strange, even for Merlin, who made friends with almost everyone. They shared a bond that had become apparent the moment Merlin laid eyes on the brigand.

 _Merlin!_ Karanth's voice now. Merlin had never had any siblings; he'd barely had any friends, even back in Ealdor. But Karanth was like a sister to him, and although he did not know what it was to have a sister, he knew he would do anything to protect her.

 _Merlin._ The final voice. It jerked him awake, because he knew that voice. He didn't think he would hear that voice anytime soon, especially now.

"What… what are you doing here?" he asked, his voice hoarse, as he stared up into the golden eyes of the dragon.

oOo

As if things hadn't been bad enough after Merlin had been struck by the crossbow bolt, and passed out from loss of blood, of course a _dragon_ had to show up. Galahad drew his sword and made to defend Karanth and the unconscious Merlin.

But then the monster spoke.

" _Put away your sword, Sir Galahad. I wish only to talk._ "

"S-s-sir?" Galahad stammered. "I-I'm not―"

" _Not yet, at least._ " The dragon craned its neck forward for a better look and glimpsed Karanth peeking out curiously from behind the brigand.

" _Ah, and the young girl… Karanth, isn't it?_ "

"Yes, Mr. Dragon."

" _Please, don't call me that._ " The dragon's gaze shifted to Merlin. " _Merlin._ " The young sorcerer awoke with a start.

"What… what are you doing here?"

" _I happened to be passing by, and I thought I'd stop for a little chat._ " Kilgharrah's tone was mocking, but to anyone who didn't know him he could have been serious.

"What do you want?"

" _This time, nothing. But I am aware that you have been contacted by the one who calls himself the Fateseeker. I must warn you, Merlin, that he is not all that he seems._ "

"What do you mean?" The dragon shifted his weight and looked uncomfortable.

"Kilgharrah, tell me. What do you mean?"

" _I only wish you to be careful, young warlock._ "

"I'm a Dragonlord, remember? You have to do as I say. Now tell me what you mean, and don't try to give me you usual enigmatic gibberish."

" _The Fateseeker does not interfere in others' destinies lightly. In fact, I have only known him to do so once before, during the time of the Great Purge._ "

"What happened?"

" _He appeared to the physician, Gaius_ ―"

"Gaius?"

" _Yes. He appeared to the physician, Gaius, and revealed to him what Uther planned to do. The result almost caused the death of your father, Balinor._ "

" _What?_ No!"

" _I'm afraid so, young warlock._ "

Just then, a nearby rustling noise made all four turn their heads. The dragon looked back at Merlin and spread his wings.

" _It is not safe here. I suggest you leave, and soon._ "

"Wait! Could you… could you carry us back to Camelot?" It sounded stupid, but Merlin knew he needed to get back, and _fast_.

" _One, I will consent to carry. Two, if the need is dire and the distance short. But three, all the way to Camelot, I fear is too much even for me. I am getting old, Merlin._ " And the great beast flapped its wings and rose into the twilight. Just before the treeline hid him from view, the dragon twisted in the air and golden flames shot from his jaws in a farewell.

Then he was gone.


	11. Murder by a Friend's Hand

After a few more days of walking, the wanderers started to draw even with the coast. Merlin noticed the trees thinning out, the wind growing stronger. He inhaled and tasted the sharp tang of the sea.

"Look!" cried Karanth. "There it is!" As they reached the top of the final rolling, grassy slope that separated them from the ocean, Merlin stopped and stared in awe. Only once before had he ever seen the sea, and he had had other things on his mind at the time. But now, he could truly appreciate how enormous it was.

Before them lay a shining expanse of water, ruffled by the constant stream of wind and the pull of the tides. It stretched all the way to the horizon; if someone told Merlin that he was standing on a tiny strip of land in an ocean that stretched all the way around the world, he would have believed them.

The three of them kept walking along the beach, looking for a good place to make camp, for the sun was starting to dip below the trees behind them. Nowhere seemed perfect, but in the last light of day Galahad looked up and saw a village on the shore.

"There!" he yelled. "I can see a town, we can rest there for the night." The others agreed and they began the trek towards the little village on the sea; not one of them noticed how the moon shone fiercely down and reflected off of two cold lapis-coloured eyes watching from the shadows.

When they reached the town, they saw no one in the streets. Upon further wanderings into the centre of the village, they saw that everyone was congregated in the town square. They seemed to be encircling someone or something.

Galahad pushed his way through the crowd, the others trailing close behind him. Two figures he glimpsed in the midst of the circle. One, a sobbing woman. The other…

"Don't let Karanth see," he hissed at Merlin, who was staring in horrified shock at the limp form of the girl. The warlock shook his head, as though shaking off the remnants of something, and gently led Karanth away before she could glimpse the scene.

She had been attacked. That, Galahad could see. But by man or beast, he could not tell, for the girl's body bore marks of both. He wondered what on earth could have happened here.

One man was trying to console the woman. He asked her over and over if she could identify the one who had done this terrible thing. She just sobbed and shook her head.

But then, the woman looked up, and her eyes met Merlin's. They clouded with terror, and she screamed. The man, thoroughly confused, asked what was the matter.

"I-It was h-him," she shrieked. "H-He m-murdered my daughter!"

And she raised a trembling hand to point at the astonished Merlin.

oOo

Galahad's sword was out in a flash of steel.

"Leave him alone!" he shouted at the men who had a hold on his friend. "He's done nothing!"

"The woman is a witness," one said. "It was him." And they dragged the sorcerer off into the dark.

"Merlin!" screamed Karanth. "What do they want with him?" she whimpered to Galahad, who fumbled for an answer.

"I― he― there's been a mistake."

"There certainly has," said a voice. "Put that away." Galahad looked down at his sword and, rather sheepishly, slid it back into its sheath.

"Where have they taken Merlin?" The voice from before stepped out of the shadows. It belonged to a tall, grave-looking man with iron-coloured hair tied back with a piece of ribbon.

"I assume you are referring to the accused murderer. Friend of yours?" The man took one look at Galahad's face and went on, his question answered. "He'll most likely be held in the town jail, for now. I can see you think he's innocent. Why is that?"

"He can't have committed the murder, he was with me."

"And me," piped Karanth. "Besides, Merlin's never murdered anybody. He's too nice!"

"And so we play the game," sighed the man. "You'll try to prove his innocence, of course, by finding the real murderer, and when you do you fail to provide any actual proof of it. I've seen it all before." Galahad opened his mouth to argue but the man was already gone, off on his own business.

"We've got to find the murderer," Karanth said forcefully, "'cause Merlin hasn't done anything, somebody else did, and we're gonna find that somebody and tell him to stop being so _mean_ and―"

"Look, Karanth," Galahad said, "I've no idea what we're up against here. Because if that woman thinks Merlin murdered her daughter, that means either she's a dirty rotten liar, or…"

"Or there's a murderer out there who looks exactly like Merlin," finished Karanth. She looked up at the moon and scowled.

It hung in the sky, smiling down at her bitterly.

Then the serenity of the silent square was shattered. Galahad turned just as a dark figure leapt at him, knocking him the the ground and winding him. Karanth screamed. The brigand grabbed for his sword, but the figure snatched it right out of his hands. Galahad managed to kick it away, but now he was weaponless.

The combatants rolled as they fought, in and out of the torchlight, until it was all over with a loud _whack_ and Galahad's attacker fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Thanks, Karanth," panted the brigand. She nodded and dropped the stick she'd beat the attacker over the head with. They both cautiously approached the still figure, until they were close enough to make out who it was.

"No," Karanth whispered. "No, it can't be…"

It was Merlin.


	12. Poisoned Reflection

"I-It was h-him," screamed the woman. "H-He m-murdered my daughter!" Merlin stared at her, uncomprehending. She was lying… But no, the terror in her eyes was real. She thought she was telling the truth.

Merlin barely felt two large men of the village grab either of his arms and pull him away from the scene. He went with them willingly, his mind turning over and over, trying to understand. They thought he'd killed the girl. An innocent girl, killed for no reason. The warlock resisted the urge to vomit. This was wrong. So wrong…

They took him to a cell, in a jail somewhere. He didn't care. Numbly, he sat on the straw covering the hard flagstones of the floor, and stared ahead at nothing. Why would the woman accuse him? If she was lying, she was the best liar Merlin had ever seen. The fear in her face proved that. But the sorcerer didn't think she was. Her daughter had been attacked, yes, perhaps by someone who bore a resemblance to him.

Of course, he could easily escape with magic. Right now, if he wanted. But what would the villagers think him? A murderer who escaped in the night? No.

He would leave here having proven his innocence, or not at all.

oOo

Galahad stared. He looked exactly like the warlock, right down to the clothing he wore. Except for one detail.

The fangs.

Long, sharp incisors that definitely did _not_ belong in a human mouth. On Merlin, they looked even more horrific.

"That is _not_ Merlin," whispered Galahad. "I suppose it must be some sort of shape-shifting magical creature…" He trailed off as he noticed Karanth's expression. Rigid with horror, the ten-year-old stared at the face of the monster that had taken their friend's form.

"Why are the teeth like that?" she asked, her voice barely a whimper. Galahad put his arm around the girl, wishing he knew how to be less awkward in situations like these.

"I don't know, Karanth. But listen," he said, a note of confidence creeping into his rough voice, "we are going to prove that this thing is what murdered the girl. Not Merlin."

"Never Merlin," Karanth added, too quietly to hear. "Never."

"Go and find someone who can help," Galahad said. "I'll stay here and make sure this doesn't cause any more trouble."

The girl ran off, leaving Galahad alone with the creature. He silently wished her speed in her errand, for he did not want to be alone here for long.

oOo

Somehow, Merlin wasn't too surprised when they dragged the unconscious form of _himself_ through the door. What threw him off were the fangs.

"What is _that_?" he asked, repulsed.

"I've no idea," he answered. "But it attacked me and I'm certain that's it's responsible for the girl's death."

"Have you any proof?" Galahad turned and spotted the same grey-haired man from before. He stood in the doorway, foot tapping impatiently.

"The girl's body bore marks of attack from both human and beast," the brigand explained. "Here is the only person who could have done such a thing."

"How am I to know for _certain_ ―"

"Well, you've more proof against _this_ than you have against Merlin!" Galahad burst out. "Let him go!"

"Why don't you ask that lady which one attacked her daughter?" Karanth inquired. The two men looked at her, then back at each other.

"Genius," exclaimed the man. Karanth smiled.

A few moments later, the woman was brought in and asked to identify the murderer. She paled when she saw that both looked almost exactly alike. But despite this, when she saw the false Merlin's fangs, her screeches were enough to verify that this was he who had killed her daughter.

The grey-haired man began to let Merlin out of the cell. But just as the door opened, both heard a screech of fury, and Merlin found himself flat on the hard flagstones, staring up into his own face.

"Merlin!" called both Galahad and Karanth at once. But in the chaos of the fight, they could not tell which was which, and dared not interfere for fear of wrongly identifying their friend.

Merlin was struggling to stay alive. The creature's fangs were snapping next to his ear, in front of his face, tearing his neckerchief. Though it had his form, it possessed more strength than he, and his magic did nothing to subdue it.

He heard his friends call out to him, but he knew as well as they the gravity of the situation. Suddenly, the monster got in a lucky shot; its fangs closed on his neck and he yelled. Red spots of pain swam before his eyes. The warlock found himself holding the creature off a mere centimetre from his face, its eyes red with malice, jaws snapping in anticipation.

He heard Galahad yell something, then there was the ring of steel that was his sword coming out of its sheath. His vision tinged with red, he watched as the brigand ran his sword through the monster. The threat gone, he lay back, panting. To his surprise, he still saw red. The thing was gone, why was he… Then he felt fire racing through his veins. Poison. The bite of the creature… he was…

Merlin never finished the thought. Instead, he sank into unconsciousness.


	13. Kyannor's Revenge

Galahad was terrified that he'd gotten it wrong. It had been so hard to be sure in the struggle. But when the figure he'd struck screeched and dissolved into moonlight, he knew he had struck the right one.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" he asked, wiping off his sword with a rug while the grey-haired man looked on disapprovingly. The warlock didn't answer, nor make any indication that he had heard. "Merlin?" The brigand moved closer, and noticed for the first time the wound on his friend's neck. It was like a snake bite, only much larger.

"He's wounded," Galahad called to Karanth, who bit back a sob and turned to the grey-haired man to ask for some herbs. He nodded grimly and left. The girl knelt next to the young sorcerer, who writhed as if in pain.

"Arthur… I can't…" Merlin mumbled deliriously. "Poison…"

"It was poison," breathed Karanth. "That thing's bite had poison in it!"

"...can't… where's Arthur…" Karanth brushed Merlin's raven-black hair out of his eyes. Her eyes were bright with tears but she did not let them fall.

"I'm going to save you, Merlin," she promised. "I will."

"...can't remember…" The door flew open as the grim man from before returned with the requested herbs.

"They were on the outskirts of the forest," he panted. "I had to run." Breathlessly, he passed them to the young Healer's apprentice, who nodded her thanks and began work.

"Kilgharrah… _e mala soi_ …" Merlin broke off into a dry cough.

"What language was that?" Galahad asked.

"I don't know," Karanth replied, "but it doesn't matter." She leapt back as the warlock's eyes suddenly flew open, revealing brilliant gold irises.

" _Erkheo! Anale tendai…_ " He still didn't seem to be entirely conscious, Karanth realised, although his speech sounded quite lucid.

Then a dragon landed in the square outside.

oOo

Kilgharrah heard the broken cry for help and he flew, faster than he had flown in decades, the world blurring underneath him, until he found the tiny village on the sea. Landing, he looked around for Merlin. He was here somewhere. But where?

Then he saw the future knight, Galahad, along with the girl Karanth, appear from the dark doorway of a small building. Well, small to the dragon, at least. The two were carrying a limp figure between them… Oh, no. Kilgharrah could recognise the handiwork of the Moon Goddess anywhere.

" _What has happened?_ " he asked. It was Galahad who replied.

"He's been attacked. Please, can you help him?" The dragon bent over the unmoving sorcerer and sighed, a deep, sorrowful sound.

" _I am afraid he is beyond my help. There are only two things that can save him now._ "

"What are they?"

" _Firstly, the repent of Kyannor the Moon._ "

"That will never happen," cried Karanth.

" _Then you must find the Cup of Life. Its healing powers are revered by many who still cling to the old ways._ "

"How do we find it?"

" _It will find you, Sir Galahad._ " With that, the dragon flapped his mighty wings and was gone.

"Oh, yeah, that helps," seethed Galahad. " _It will find you._ What rubbish!"

"Druids…" muttered Merlin unexpectedly. " _Sé béodfæt healdnes ælíf…"_

"What was that? Merlin, what did you just say?" The warlock said nothing more, to Galahad's frustration.

"Druids," repeated Karanth. "What are Druids?"

"No…" Merlin whimpered. "I won't, I won't do it. Leave me alone!" His face contorted in pain and rage. "I won't!" Then he lay gasping on the stones beneath him and said no more.

"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Karanth asked anxiously.

"Nothing good."

oOo

Arthur could hear the moon singing. Its voice like silver, beckoning, calling to him. The song danced inside him, in it he heard joy, courage, hope… and power. Such power. He tore his cloak off the window frame and let the moonlight spill into the room.

Glory. Bravery. Power… He smiled, and had anyone been watching they would not have seen Arthur standing there. Someone else was in his place in that moment, someone so overcome with greed and hatred that they could barely be described as human.

In that moment, Arthur was the spitting image of his father.

And a pair of warm brown eyes watching from a shadowy corner knew, and she saw not the king she loved but the tyrant that had preceded him.

Guinevere was scared of him.

Then he turned, and his eyes were not the deep blue she loved, but the icy colour of the moon, void of love, of mercy, of everything that made Arthur… Arthur.

He laughed, and she screamed, and all the while the moon watched happily from above, her mission completed.

Almost.

oOo

"Arthur…" mumbled the sleeping sorcerer. " _Kyannor, geleáfa hine!_ "

"He's burning up," worried Karanth. "We've got to find that cup…" Galahad sighed at this.

"We don't even know where it is, Karanth. All we have to go on is that dragon's stupid riddle."

"The Cup…" Merlin murmured. Both turned to him in surprise. "...Druids…"

"Maybe he means there's a connection between whatever Druids are and the Cup," suggested Galahad.

"Perhaps," Karanth agreed. "But what are they, exactly?"

"I don't know."

"I _won't_ do it… get out of my head…" Merlin's eyes flew open again, but this time they weren't gold or blue.

They were silver.


	14. An Old Acquaintance

**Thanks, you guys, for all your great reviews! Please don't be offended if I don't respond to them, 'cos the truth is, I actually have no idea how to. I only created my account a few weeks ago, and I really don't know how to do anything except post chapters; and it took me two and a half hours just to figure _that_ out. Sad, I know. But know that I am grateful for ALL of your reviews, especially CHARLES CHUKU's, who has written about half of the reviews on there. Please keep reviewing! Reviews are the only things that keep an author going! -BregdanAnwealdGitheluec**

* * *

Merlin's eyes― glowing, pupiless orbs of light the colour of the moon― stared up at nothing as he hissed in a voice quite unlike his own,

"Do you think you can save him?" Galahad was too shocked to respond. Merlin laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "He is beyond your help now, Galahad. Emrys shall never return home."

"Kyannor?" Karanth asked in a wavering voice.

"Oh yes, you were born in my ancestral home, Karanth. You know who I am. I am willing to forgive you, but you must first let Emrys die."

"No! He's my friend; now _get out of him_!" The girl meant every word, Kyannor saw, and although she was disappointed, it was not altogether a great loss.

"As you wish," said the moon, and Merlin's eyes faded back to the familiar blue.

"K-Karanth?" he whispered, his throat dry. He wasn't looking at her, though.

"He's dreaming," she said to Galahad. "He has a fever." Galahad looked somber.

"We'll get that cup, Karanth, don't worry." She nodded, trying to keep her tears back, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure. Karanth whipped around, standing in front of Merlin protectively.

"Who are you?"

"I was summoned."

"W-what? What do you mean?"

"Emrys called to me. He needs my help." The figure moved closer, and Karanth saw it was a boy, maybe twelve or thirteen. He had dark, coarse hair and startlingly blue eyes. He wore a green cloak that blended with the forest.

"He helped me once before. Now I can help him." Galahad stepped in front of Karanth, sword in hand.

"And why should we trust you? We don't even know who you are."

"I know who you are, Sir Galahad. We are both friends of Emrys; he will die if you don't let me help him." The boy held up a finely wrought goblet set with runes.

"The Cup of Life," Karanth breathed.

" _It will find you,_ the dragon said," Galahad recollected. "But who… who are you?"

"My name is Mordred."

oOo

Consciousness crashed over Merlin like a wave. He'd never woken so abruptly. His eyes focussed on the face looming above him… a face he'd seen before…

"It's you," he said, voice rasping in his throat. "You're that Druid boy…"

"Yes," said Karanth. "His name is Mordred. He healed you, with the Cup of Life." Merlin suddenly experienced the strangest sense of déjà vu. The same cup he'd used to save Arthur from the Questing Beast's venom, all those years ago. The same Druid boy he'd helped Morgana save from Uther. The warlock sat up with a groan.

"What are you doing here? We must be miles away from Ascetir…"

"I heard your mind call out, Emrys. You saved me once. I wanted to repay you."

"And you have."

"No, I haven't. Not yet." Something felt strange. Merlin realised he'd never heard Mordred speak before, not out loud, at least.

"I could have let you die. You deserved it, after all. You let my people die." Mordred paused. "But you saved me once, and I haven't forgotten. Still, I will do no more, for now. Except give you this." Mordred held out a piece of parchment, very old and rumpled. "Iseldir told me to give this to you, and these long years I have waited for a chance to do so. Now it is yours, Emrys. I will see you again, I know." And the Druid boy walked off into the night.

He was much more bitter than Merlin remembered. He seemed like he'd had to grow up too fast, which Merlin supposed he had. The sorcerer looked down at the parchment Mordred had given him.

"What does it say?" asked Galahad.

"Hold on, it's written in a very archaic form of the Old Religion's tongue," Merlin replied. "It's something like,

 _Before it's too late_

 _Return from death's gate_

 _Your shield is my lies_

 _Through which Fate shall rise_

but the rest is burned away."

"Sound's like something that stupid dragon would say," muttered the brigand. "Does he ever give anyone a straight answer?"

"If he has, I haven't heard it," laughed Merlin. Galahad laughed too, and pretty soon Karanth was giggling. In a few moments, all three were rolling around on the ground in hysterical fits of laughter.

"What," gasped Merlin, "is so funny?"

"I have no idea," chuckled Karanth, and this of course just made them laugh even more.

Far away, someone else was laughing. But no mirth reached their cold silver eyes.

oOo

It started when Galahad tripped over a vine. At the time, Merlin just helped him to his feet and called him clumsy. But then the warlock felt something pulling at his ankle, and before he knew it he was sprawled on the ground as well.

"What's going on?" he managed before the trees around them exploded.

Plants of every size tried to smother him with leaves. Merlin yelled and the circle of greenery around him burst into flames. He stood panting for a moment, until the next wave of vines, undaunted, attacked him.

Pretty soon, nothing remained around him but dust and ashes. Warily, Merlin glanced around for any threats but found none. There was nothing. No plants.

No people.

Where were Galahad and Karanth? He spun in a circle hoping they were close by, that he could see them struggling with the last of the vines and he could dart in and rescue them and they would all walk out of the forest together―

No such luck.

He was alone.

"Galahad! Karanth!" he called into the lightening woods. "Hello?" He began walking in what he hoped was the right direction. "Guys? Scream if you're not dead!"

Nothing.

Merlin kept walking. They couldn't be too far away, right? Two hours later he wondered how that ludicrously optimistic thought had crept into his head. He'd had to deal with four more vine attacks, two wild animal attacks and one attack from a very misled group of bandits who thought they were ambushing a single unarmed man.

Merlin walked out of the glade where the bandits lay in a dazed pile, very confused about how they'd been beaten, and continued walking. It was possible, he reflected as he ducked under a stray branch, that he'd gone in entirely the wrong direction. They could be on the other side of the forest. Then he looked up and saw that he was walking _away_ from the rising sun.

He was going in the opposite direction of Camelot.

With a groan, he sat down heavily under a large sycamore tree. It was as though some external force was playing with him, making everything that could possibly go wrong do so. Actually, the warlock thought as he glanced at the setting moon, that wasn't far from the truth. But suddenly, the sweet sound of someone singing broke into his thoughts.

The song of the creek in the low creek-bed,

Flowing through the land where few have tread.

And as night drew closer around the sky,

The moon shone bright and the sun did sigh.

O! thou who walk in the land of mists,

Hast thou never heard the song of eternal bliss?

Undying though thou are, power brighter than a star,

Never shalt thou hear it, O mighty Emrys.

The song of the thrush at the break of day,

His voice full of laughter, sweet and gay.

And as day once more conquered the night,

The moon refused to still her light.

O! thou who give thyself to the King,

Hast thou never yet listened to the ages sing?

Thy magic wrapped in lies, unseen by Arthur's eyes,

Never shalt thou hear its music ring.

The song of the maiden, in forest dark,

Her words the sorcerer does not hark.

For as night descends upon the earth,

Emrys awakes, now gone his mirth.

O! thou who find thyself in my grasp,

Hast thou never heard the singer's final gasp?

As her song does fade, does echo in this glade,

Never my song shalt thou clasp.

And Merlin awoke in chains.


	15. The Song of Frówe

The singing was beautiful and it was horrible. Karanth hated it as much as she loved it. The woman, young, slender, and with pure-white hair flowing all the way to her waist, kept singing, always singing, and Karanth wondered if she had been born singing and would sing her entire life.

The song poured from her mouth, sweeter than honey, finer than any of the jewels under Camelot. It was a sorrowful song, and Karanth wanted to cry. But at the same time, it was the merriest, most jovial song she'd ever heard, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. A song of love, soulful and passionate beyond the girl's comprehension, but also a lighthearted tale of wanderings and adventures, and so many things besides.

Karanth watched as the woman glided over to Merlin and sang softly in his ear. The girl couldn't make out the words, but Merlin's eyes glazed over and he went limp. Karanth could hear the magic in her song. In fact, it was dripping with magic, if you only listened. Both Galahad and Merlin were completely under the woman's spell, though Karanth herself seemed unaffected. Then the woman turned to Karanth.

"I am called Frówe. Who are you, and why do you trespass in my forest, and in the company of these _vile_ creatures?"

"M-m-my n-name's K-Karanth," the girl stammered, frightened. "W-we weren't t-t-trespassing, I-I p-promise!"

"Then how do you explain your presence here?"

"W-we were j-j-just trying t-to get b-back to C-Camelot…"

"I see. You were travelling to your home and did not know you were crossing my lands."

"Y-yes." _Close enough_ , Karanth thought.

"Then, it was a honest mistake. You shall be freed."

"Oh, _thank_ you―"

"Of course, I shall have to kill the men."

oOo

Merlin was having a hard time convincing himself that he wasn't dreaming. It certainly felt like a dream. And the fact that he no longer had any control over his own body was not helping in the slightest. He could still hear the singing, though. Merlin wished it would stop. It entered his head and coiled around inside him, like some spell of black magic. Which was probably what it was.

 _Give in, Emrys_ , whispered the song in a voice like silk, _just let go. No man has ever overcome the power of Frówe._

"No," Merlin tried to say, only he couldn't speak.

 _You are weak,_ the voice whispered. _Magic cannot help you now. Only the strongest will can surmount my might._ The dark coil of song drew tighter. Merlin couldn't see, couldn't feel, couldn't hear. Only the song was there, growing louder and louder and louder and _louder_ … The song was all around him now, it was the world, nothing else mattered but that sweet melody… The darkness of the song grew and grew until it was everything, there was nothing else… nothing…

Except.

A bright point of light, shining through the black music. Merlin called out to it, recognising it.

"Arthur!"

oOo

"You can't kill them, they're my friends!" Karanth protested. "Please, just let them go!"

"They are men. They cannot be trusted― stinking pigs that they are." Frówe sang again, a soft, sweet note, and the room grew colder. Karanth tensed as Galahad's breath grew softer and slower; Merlin, in contrast, was breathing quickly and shallowly, sweating even in the frigid temperature.

"What are you _doing_ to them?" the girl screamed in despair. Ice was beginning to form on her friends' eyelashes. Instead of responding, Frówe sang louder, until Karanth had to cover her ears.

 _In the heart of the winter storm,_

 _My words enchant this wizard,_

 _Emrys cannot escape my wrath,_

 _As I create this blizzard._

 _O! can thee feel the ice in thy soul,_

 _The frost forming on thy heart,_

 _O! my song has taken its toll,_

 _My words tear thee apart._

 _Ísigfeðera! Ísigfeðera!_

 _Never shalt thou see thy king again._

 _Ísigfeðera! Ísigfeðera!_

 _And cold thou shalt be in the warmest glen._

 _O! can thee feel the chill in thy breath,_

 _Thy spirit's wintery storm,_

 _O! nothing is colder than the void of death,_

 _To the benorþan thou transform._

"Stop it! You're killing them!" Karanth shouted over the icy gale that was whipping through the room. But Frówe continued singing. The girl realised then that her voice _was_ the storm, it _was_ the very wind that blew through the stone hall.

Frówe's eyes were glowing, they were shining a brilliant white to match the hair that floated around her in a blinding halo. The song crescendoed, and Karanth screamed.

 _Ísigfeðera! Ísigfeðera!_

 _To Camelot thou shalt never return._

 _Ísigfeðera! Ísigfeðera!_

 _Thy soul I use my power to spurn._

 _O! can thee feel thy life slipping away,_

 _Thy blood freezing in thy veins?_

 _O! night shall swallow thy light of day,_

 _As it snows but never rains._

Merlin gasped loudly, then was quiet. Much too quiet. Galahad's chest rose and fell steadily, if a bit too slowly, but Karanth wept then, the tears freezing to her face. The warlock no longer breathed.

Merlin was dead.


	16. The Way Back

_So this was death. It was dark and it was cold, and there was nothing; no light, no sound. Empty. Merlin was cold. It was too cold, too cold in the abyss of Death. And it was familiar. He could remember a time, so many years ago now._

 _Red. And blue. Two armies meet in the great hall of Camelot._

 _A plot. A gift, a gift for Arthur, bearing Death._

 _A girl. A serving wench to Bayard of Mercia._

 _Kara. Nimueh._

 _The two kings argue. Arthur is incredulous, he tries to drink from the chalice himself. Merlin makes a decision. He drinks the wine._

 _Nothing._

 _Then, a slight tightness in his throat. He coughs, expecting it to disappear. But it grows worse instead, he can't breathe, and the last thing he sees is Arthur's horrified face. Then the blackness consumes him._

 _He remembers the pull of Death, growing stronger and stronger until he feels his heart stop and his breath cease. He follows the voices of the dead, growing louder as he grows closer…_

 _Then a voice. Familiar, but Merlin can't place it. A presence. A guide. A guide back to the light, back to Life. He follows. And he awakes._

 _This time, there was no presence. Just the emptiness of Death. Just the numbing cold, and the impenetrable darkness. But ahead, he saw them. Three figures. Three faces in the dark._

" _Go back, my son," said Balinor. "Your time has not yet come."_

" _Arthur needs you," said Will._

 _The third person smiled at Merlin, his brown eyes sad._

" _She's waiting for you."_

" _You mean she's not here?" Merlin asked._

" _No. You will see her again, my friend." Lancelot replied. "Now go."_

 _Merlin turned around and looked back the way he had come. It was so far away now, the tiny speck of light that was the world of the Living. It would be so easy to just go on, into the dark._

 _Then he was there, the voice, the guide._

" _Come with me." Together they walked back to Life, out of the darkness. Again, the voice was so familiar to Merlin, it was as though he heard it every day. But he couldn't quite make out who it was._

" _Who are you?" he asked at the gate of Death._

" _You know who I am." And in the light from the gate, Merlin saw him. The unruly mop of dark hair. The pale skin, the protruding ears. There was only one difference: This man's eyes glowed gold._

" _I am Emrys," said his reflection, "and you are Merlin. Together we are Albion's saviour."_

 _Then Merlin woke up in the land of the Living._

oOo

He tried to open his eyes, but it felt like they were glued shut. Merlin tried to move, but his limbs didn't seem to want to listen to him. And he was still so cold, why was it so cold? He was suddenly aware that he could hear a pair of voices.

"What do you mean, he's _dead?_ He can't be dead!"

"I'm so sorry, Galahad, I couldn't save him, I did try, but the witch was making it snow and all these weird things were happening and _it's all my fault!_ " she sobbed suddenly.

"Karanth, it's not your fault. You did all you could, and if Merlin were here, he'd thank you for that."

"No, I _didn't!_ " she cried. "I should have been faster, I should have done something, I should have…"

"What's done is done. You can't change that." Galahad sounded like he was crying.

"Yes, you can," Merlin said loudly. He forced his eyes open and smiled.

Before he knew what was happening, Galahad had his sword to Merlin's chest.

"W-ho are you?" he asked, voice trembling. "What manner of creature are you?"

"It's me," said the warlock, not understanding. "It's Merlin."

"No," Galahad said quietly. "My friend is dead."

"N-no, I don't think I am…" A memory. A song shrouded in darkness. A light, a friend. Arthur. Then the dark, and the cold, and the howling void. Merlin looked down and was shocked to see that he was covered in frost. No wonder he was so cold. Maybe… maybe he really _had_ died…

"Wait," said Karanth, thrusting Galahad's sword aside. "What were the first words you said to me, when we first met?"

"C'mon, Karanth, how am I meant to remember that?"

"Tell me!" Merlin thought back to that day. He'd woken to see the girl talking, more to herself than him, and then she had said… what was it? _Whoa,_ she'd said, _how long have you been awake?_

"I don't know. A few minutes," Merlin smiled.

"What? What does that mean?" spluttered a confounded Galahad.

"It's him. It's Merlin," Karanth breathed, and she hugged him. "Aren't you gonna hug me back?" she asked joyfully.

"I would if I could move," groaned the sorcerer. "Please get off me before you damage my ribcage any more." They all laughed.

"Why can't you move?"

"Cut me some slack, Karanth, I just died."

"I know." The laughter subsided. "How did you… how did you come back?"

"I don't know." His memories of Death were slipping away faster than he could grasp them. "There was someone… a guide… I don't remember."

" _Return from Death's gate_ ," Galahad said unexpectedly. "Isn't that what the parchment said? The one Mordred gave you?"

"I suppose so," Merlin said slowly. " _Before it's too late/ Return from Death's gate/ Your shield is my lies/ Through which Fate shall rise._ "

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know, Karanth. But something doesn't feel right. I feel like this isn't what the riddle was referring to…"

 _You are right, you know. This is only the beginning_.

The voice echoed with icy familiarity inside his head. He knew who it was.

"Where are you?" he yelled, surprising Karanth and Galahad. "I know you're there, Fateseeker!"

 _Camelot is in grave peril. The Once and Future King is under the influence of Kyannor the Moon; you must stop her, Emrys, or all is lost._

"How do I do that? I don't even know where Camelot _is!_ "

"Merlin? Who are you talking to?" Karanth sounded worried.

"I'm talking to―"

 _Don't tell the girl._

"Why not?"

Silence. "Fateseeker, _why not?_ "

 _Why don't I show you?_

The world spun in front of Merlin's eyes. He fell from the half-sitting position he had managed to achieve, and yelled.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

Then the sorcerer was somewhere very different. He was in Camelot, only it looked… strange. Younger. In front of him were two figures. One was Gaius, looking a good twenty years younger. The other…

"Father?" Merlin whispered.


	17. Fires of the Past

Balinor took no notice of his son's presence in the room, nor did Gaius. Merlin looked down and saw with a start that he could see right through his own body. He wasn't really there, he was only watching.

"Please, Balinor, I beg of you," Gaius was saying. "You can't do it. Don't tell me you actually believe for a second that Uther intends to make peace with it?"

"I have no choice," the Dragonlord replied. "I must do what I believe to be right, for the future of this kingdom." With that, Balinor walked away in the direction of the throne room. Gaius sighed, and then, without warning, the Fateseeker was there.

 _You cannot let this happen, Gaius,_ said the apparition. _If Kilgharrah is imprisoned, Camelot's fate is sealed. I have seen this future, and when he does escape, his fury burns brighter than the sun._

"What can I do, Fateseeker? Balinor is my friend, I cannot force this upon him."

 _Then Camelot is doomed._ The Fateseeker disappeared in a flash of darkness. Suddenly, Merlin found himself in the throne room. Before him, in the throne, sat Uther Pendragon.

He looked different. For one thing, the scar on his forehead that Merlin knew so well was fresh, an angry red line running down the king's brow. It couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. And his hair was black like Morgana's, with only a few streaks of grey running through it.

For another, he held a child in his arms. Merlin didn't need to see the thick golden hair or the startlingly blue eyes to know who it was. Or rather, who it would be. Arthur squealed and Merlin couldn't stop a smirk from forming on his face.

"Balinor," said the king, and Merlin was struck by the pain in his voice. It was raw and tender, and Merlin realised how soon after Ygraine's death this must be. For the first time, he thought about what Uther must have gone through. He wasn't evil. He was broken.

"Have you reached your decision yet?" the king continued.

"Yes, my lord." Merlin's father kneeled in front of Uther. "I will call the dragon."

"Good. I would like you to do it in a cave I know of beneath the castle, for if it landed in the courtyard, it would upset the people; and I can think of nowhere else large enough."

"Very good, my lord." Only Merlin could see the suspicion growing in his father's eyes. But although he was wary, he followed the king to the cavern under the citadel. Merlin trailed invisibly behind.

" _O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo! Anale tendai gard amasen fulakson!_ "

Merlin had never heard the call of a Dragonlord come from any throat but his own. He was stunned by how draconic it actually was; it was like a roar translated into words. Soon, the warlock could see the outline of the mighty dragon against the moon. It was clear that he had no wish to come anywhere near Camelot, but even Kilgharrah could not resist the Dragonlord's summons.

He landed in the cave and looked around warily. His gaze flickered from Uther to Balinor before finally resting on Merlin. The sorcerer got the sudden impression that the dragon could _see_ him, even through the years that separated them. If so, he said nothing to betray this.

" _Why have you called me here, Balinor? Why force me into the presence of the man who slaughtered my kind, and yours as well?_ "

Balinor opened his mouth to speak, but Merlin did not hear what he said. He was too focussed on Uther and what he was saying to the group of knights that accompanied him.

"Give the signal," whispered the king, "and when it is made, take the Dragonlord prisoner. There is _no_ room for magic in my kingdom."

"Kilgharrah!" Merlin shouted, helpless. The dragon's eyes were trained on him once more, and he thought he saw in their golden depths an answer.

 _It's too late._

"Now!" A chain. A great piece of craftsmanship, larger than any chain had a right to be. Made of iron to block the creature's magic. It was made for a dragon.

It was fastened around Kilgharrah's leg. He roared with fury and his fire was all around them now, it consumed the knights who had fastened the chain, it was rushing towards the ledge where Balinor stood beside Uther, frozen in horror. He did not move as the guards dragged him away.

"I'm sorry, Gaius," whispered the Dragonlord. "I should have listened to you."

Then the fire reached the cave mouth, thankfully empty now of the king and his prisoner, and it engulfed the lone figure who stood there still, unable to feel the heat of the flame; for the fire was long since gone for him, it had dissipated into the cold air of the cave long before.

So it didn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

oOo

The Fateseeker was speaking to Gaius again.

 _You have failed me_ , he said. _The Great Dragon is in chains. Uther Pendragon has begun the Purge._

"I tried! What was I to do? I could not convince him, he was beyond reason."

 _That should not have stopped you._

"What would you have had me do?"

 _You could have killed him._

Gaius stared at the Fateseeker in undisguised horror. Merlin knew that the thought had never entered his mentor's mind to do such a thing.

 _If you had killed Balinor, then he could never had called Kilgharrah. Uther would never be able to capture him._

"I would never kill my own friend to prevent the capture of a dragon."

 _Do not side with Uther, Gaius. Do not betray me._

"I would have already betrayed you had I known what you truly were― _a murderer._ "

 _A murderer._

 _A murderer._

 _A murderer._

The words echoed through the empty hall. The Fateseeker was gone.

Gaius made his way down to the dungeons and found Balinor's cell. The Dragonlord was sitting erect, eyes on the twinkling stars he could just make out through the bars on the window.

"Balinor―"

"I know why you're here." A guard coughed a few halls away and he lowered his voice. "Where will I go? No one will take me in for fear of Uther's wrath."

"There is one place that I know of. A small village, on the edge of Cenred's kingdom. It is called Ealdor."

Merlin gasped. He could see the chain of events that would eventually lead to his birth being set in motion.

"There is a woman there by the name of Hunith, she will take you in. Just tell her I sent you, and explain the situation. She'll understand."

"Thank you, Gaius. You are a true friend."

Suddenly Merlin found himself in Gaius's chambers, and the sun was shining through the windows. He could tell quite a while had passed, for his mentor's face was etched with more wrinkles than before. He was opening a letter. Merlin leaned over Gaius's shoulder and read the words that were written in, he realised with surprise, his mother's handwriting:

 _My dear Gaius. I am afraid I bring bad tidings. Uther's men have come to Ealdor, seeking Balinor. He escaped, but I know not where he is now, and I fear that I may not see him again._

 _Another thing. After he left, I discovered that I am pregnant, but now I have no way of telling him. He will never know that he has a child. I don't know what I'm going to tell the child, either; how will they know they're not a bastard? How can I tell them that their father did not abandon them, but does not know that he has a child?_

 _As you know, this is to be my first child, and, I have decided, my only, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could come to Ealdor and help with the child's birth, when the time comes. I trust no one else to help me through this._

― _Hunith_

When Merlin finished reading, he turned and was unsurprised to see the Fateseeker once more. The being addressed Gaius with the cold, unsettling voice:

 _Do you know the significance of the child's birth?_

"You. Why are you here, Fateseeker?"

 _To warn you. The Dragonlord's son will have immense power. It is his destiny to become the greatest warlock ever to walk the Earth. He will be Emrys, the young Pendragon's protector, and only you can guide him along this path._

"You mean Arthur? How can he protect Arthur if he's a warlock?"

 _The young Pendragon is not his father. He is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion, and the Dragonlord's son is to be his brother in all but blood. Their destinies are intertwined. But to do this, the young Emrys will need your help, Physician._

"Why should I trust you?"

 _As always, Gaius,_ laughed the Fateseeker, _because you have no choice._

Then he was gone.

Merlin looked down and he was fading, fading right out of the world. His body became so transparent that he was almost invisible. Then he was back where he belonged, in his own time, with Karanth and Galahad by his side. But a third presence watched him malevolently.

"You," he said to the Fateseeker, "You're _a murderer!_ "


	18. Across the Desert

"Merlin, are you _certain_ you're perfectly alright?" Galahad's voice broke the trance.

"Where… where is he? He was just here!" Merlin sat up and wished he hadn't. His head was still spinning wildly, and he didn't feel up to standing, much less continuing the journey.

"Who?"

"The Fa―"

 _Do not say my name, Emrys, unless you wish to bring the fury of Kyannor the Moon down upon us both. She does not yet know of my treachery, but my name has been spoken too many times already for us to be truly safe._

"Us? How dare you! I am nothing like you, you're a cold-blooded _murderer!_ You tried to kill my father!"

"Merlin?" Karanth sounded concerned. "Who are you talking to? Who tried to kill your father?"

"I can't tell you," Merlin growled. "I'm sorry." He felt the Fateseeker's presence fade.

"Alright, then…" Galahad said, trying to lighten the mood. "Why don't we keep going? We're bound to reach Kaladuen soon."

Merlin agreed, stood up, and managed about one step before he face-planted into the soft turf.

"Um," Karanth said over Galahad's laughter, "Why don't I get you a walking-staff?"

"Good idea," mumbled the warlock. "I'll just lay here, then." Karanth meandered through the section of woods they were in, eventually returning with a medium-sized branch in her hands.

"Is this good?" she asked.

"Yeah," Merlin replied, taking up the piece of oak. It was unusually straight; it didn't look like something that had grown out of a tree. And there weren't any twigs poking out, either.

Another odd thing: At the top, where it thinned out, the branch curled a bit, as though it was holding something in place, though there was nothing there. Merlin even ran his hand through the spot to see if there wasn't something invisible in the space.

"Okay," chuckled Galahad, coming to his senses, "let's go, then." The three wanderers continued along the path to Camelot.

oOo

It was near to midday when they reached the end of the treeline, unfortunately. Merlin stopped and stared; it was like coming to the end of the world. One minute, they were surrounded by the lush greenery of the forest; the next, an empty, forsaken realm stretched before them.

It was a land of death.

That was what Merlin thought when he saw it, there were no other words to describe it. Shining mounds of brilliant golden sand, an endless sea of dunes. And the sun beat down mercilessly overhead.

"Gods," he whispered. The others remained silent. "This must be it…"

"The great desert of Kaladuen," finished Galahad. "None have reached the other side alive."

"Hooray," said Merlin softly. They refilled their waterskins at a nearby stream, and then they began.

Hours later, Merlin was hot, thirsty, and tired, not to mention worried sick about Arthur. As they reached the crest of yet another dune, the sorcerer was disappointed by the sight of a hill of sand looking exactly the same as the one before. He sighed and blew hair out of his eyes; it was nearly as long as Arthur's now, seeing as he hadn't found the time to cut it.

Dusk brought a relief of sorts; at least it wasn't so hot anymore. But as they progressed, the desert night became almost as cold as the day had been hot. Merlin shivered.

Then came the Serkets.

Like a glistening black wave, they swarmed over the dunes as one. Merlin stopped walking in his shock.

"What are they?" whispered Karanth.

"Serkets!" yelled Merlin, and then the creatures were upon them.

The warlock kept them at bay with blast after blast of magic, but for every one he destroyed, ten more seemed to take its place. One of them crept up behind Merlin, and he barely had time to turn around before it leapt at him. He whacked it as hard as he could with his staff, and the Serket shrieked with pain. It scuttled off and did not return.

"Merlin!" Galahad was yelling. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," panted the sorcerer. Then there was no time for talking.

Wave after wave Merlin drove off with his magic, but they kept coming. Eventually, he raised his arm and prepared to create an explosion of sand that would drive off the oncoming Serkets―

Nothing happened.

" _Astrice_ ," he tried. Nothing. No movement except for the onslaught of creatures. Something was wrong. Something was really, terribly wrong…

"Galahad," he near screamed over the hissing of the Serkets. "Galahad!"

"What's wrong?"

"Not fine," was all Merlin managed before he fainted on the sand. Galahad, distracted, lowered his guard for a moment, and a nearby Serket struck. The brigand realised this at the last minute, and swung his sword around to fend off the deadly barbed tail.

One cut.

One graze of the Serket's tail against his shoulder.

That was all it took.

Galahad managed to fight off a few more creatures before the poison took effect. He fell to his knees, gasping, and his sword fell with a muffled thump into the sand.

"I'm sorry, Karanth," he said softly, and then he was down.

The Serkets closed in on the girl, who drew the small dagger she had taken from Frówe's tower. She didn't know how to use it, but it was all she had.

She would have died right then and there if not for the Mark.

When she opened her eyes, she surprised to find that she was still alive. The Serkets had formed a circle around her, keeping their distance in… Respect? Fear? Karanth didn't know.

The one that had almost killed her was looking at the Mark. She looked down at it herself, though she had seen it a thousand times before. A white star, superimposed on a silver moon, on a chain about her neck. The symbol of a Healer, in her home village.

The lead Serket hissed a command to the others and they retreated as one, the dark wave of creatures disappearing behind the slopes of sand.

Karanth did what you would expect any ten-year-old in her place to do. She cried well into the night.

oOo

When the girl came to her senses, she remembered her friends. Galahad was alive, but he needed an antidote, and soon. Karanth didn't know if there was one, much less what it was and how to get it. Maybe when Merlin woke up he could heal the brigand with magic.

Merlin wouldn't wake up. She tried shaking him, she tried yelling in his ear. Nothing worked. She couldn't seem to find anything wrong with him, either; he'd simply collapsed. He was very pale, though. The warlock had always had a pasty look to him, but now he was white as a sheet.

So Karanth sat.

And waited.

She was woken a few hours after midnight by Merlin's voice. He sounded hoarse, but otherwise in perfect health.

"...Galahad, not fine at all. Overspent my magic."

"Merlin?"

"Karanth. What happened? Why am I on the ground? Where are the Serkets? What's happened to Galahad? _And where is my stick?_ "

Unprepared for such a barrage of questions, Karanth ran over to the place where the sorcerer had dropped the staff and returned it to him.

"Thanks. I don't know what it is about this stick, I just really like it. Besides, where am I supposed to get another one in the middle of the desert? It's really invaluable out here."

"Um," said Karanth. Merlin was rambling.

"...and have you seen how straight it is? I mean, you just don't see sticks like this every day."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just overspent my magic is all. Shouldn't have done that, now I won't be able to use it for a few hours. First time it happened my mother got so angry with me. When I woke up, that is. See, I was having a contest with Will to see who could chop down the most… ow," Merlin groaned suddenly. "Ugh, I ache all over. This is much worse than the first time…"

"Nevermind," Karanth interrupted, ignoring the warlock's sudden loopiness. "I need you to heal Galahad, he was stung by a Serket."

"Told you, I can't use my magic for at least a few hours. And I'm rubbish at healing spells anyway. Sometimes I can pull them off, but it's really difficult. Wow, do I feel weird." He giggled suddenly, a high-pitched sound that made Karanth pale with anxiety.

"M-Merlin?"

" _Really_ weird. Kind of tingly. Is that bad?" He yawned.

"I think maybe you should rest."

"Not tired, Mother," Merlin said sleepily. "It's sandy in here…" He trailed off as he started to drift into sleep.

"Oh, no." Karanth wasn't worried anymore. Now she was downright terrified.

An unconscious brigand. A loopy sorcerer. And a ten-year-old girl. In the middle of the desert.

Great.


	19. Healing

She had to carry Galahad. Luckily, he wasn't too heavy, but he was wearing armour, which didn't help. Merlin stumbled along behind, babbling to his heart's content. Karanth stopped when she saw what looked like an oasis ahead.

"Is it a mirage?" she said aloud.

"It's sorcery, let's kill it," Merlin rambled. "I'm Uther Pendragon, I hate magic." Karanth decided to investigate; if it was an oasis, she didn't want to pass it by completely.

"Come on," she told Merlin, "We're going to stop at that oasis… if it's really there."

"Karanth! Look at my hair, it's so long! How'd it get so long?"

"It's not that long," she replied absently. Was it possible… It _was_ an oasis. At last. "Merlin," she yelled delightedly, "It's real! It's a real oasis!"

"That's a funny word. Oasis. It's all vowels and a couple of 'S's." The warlock trailed along behind her as she ran towards the pool of clear water surrounded by palms. Karanth gulped down the water gratefully, then stopped as she remembered something Peryana had once told her about not drinking too much at once after a period of prolonged thirst.

She turned as she heard a loud splash and couldn't help but laugh as she saw Merlin floundering in the cool water. He climbed back out without too much difficulty and looked up at her, confused.

"Karanth? What happened?" He seemed lucid, Karanth realised, for the first time since the Serket attack.

"Don't you remember?"

"I remember the Serkets… and then… Oh gods, I overspent my magic, didn't I?" Karanth nodded. _The water must have helped somehow_ , she thought.

"I suppose I was acting strangely?" the sorcerer commented, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Yes. Very."

"This happened last time… I couldn't use my magic for a while, and all that time my mother said I was acting really _off_ …"

"Well, I'm just glad you're back to normal. Galahad needs help."

"You want me to try to heal him with magic?"

"It's the only way to save him."

"I'll try…" Merlin knelt in the sand next the the sleeping Galahad. He placed a hand on the brigand's chest and breathed deeply.

" _Ic þé þurhhæle þín lícsár!_ "

Nothing happened. Merlin tried again.

" _Ic þé þurhhæle þín lícsár!_ " It wasn't working. Merlin sat back, an odd expression on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they were a blazing gold. He shouted in a voice that Karanth had never heard from him before, more of a roar than actual words,

" _ **Ic þé þurhhæle þín lícsáre míd þám sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!**_ "

Galahad breathed in deeply and abruptly. The expression on his face changed from one of pain to one of peace. The cut on his shoulder closed and became nothing more than a scar, which in turn vanished.

"I did it," breathed Merlin.

"What… what exactly did you do?"

"I used the spell the dragon gave me… he'll be alright now, I think."

"Oh, that's reassuring," muttered Galahad suddenly. "'I think' never fails to invoke my confidence…"

"You're okay!" Karanth yelled in delight, flinging her arms around the brigand.

"Yes, I believe so," Galahad laughed.

"Em, aren't we all forgetting something?" Merlin broke into the conversation.

"What?"

"We're stuck in the middle of the desert, we've only got two waterskins (mine was broken by a Serket) and we are completely out of food."

"That does put a damper on things somewhat."

oOo

"... and then he started complaining about how long his hair was," Karanth giggled. She was recounting to Galahad the events that had taken place after he had fallen unconscious, much to Merlin's dismay. He walked along behind them, cringing every time he heard Karanth describe something stupid he'd done after the Serket attack.

"Well, I suppose it _is_ longer than it was when we first met," she continued, "but not by very much. Maybe three or four centimetres."

"Can we please stop talking about my hair?" Merlin sighed. The two took no notice of him. The warlock decided to take a look at what lay ahead of them with his magic; it never hurt to know what exactly they were walking into. He closed his eyes and sent his magic out ahead of them, searching for any potential dangers, or possibly just an end to this stupid desert.

What he saw shocked him.

 _The White Mountains._

He knew this place, it lay just on the edge of Albion. It was a formidable barrier to any outside threats looking to invade… but also, he realised, to him and his friends. He opened his eyes to see that he had fallen behind the others. As he ran to catch up, his thoughts drifted to Arthur. _I hope he's alright._

Arthur was far from alright.

oOo

Eight dunes later, Karanth stood staring at the mountains on the horizon. She knew they would have to cross them, so she had no idea why Merlin was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" she grumbled. "We're only going to have to cross them."

"I know," said Merlin. "It's just that I recognise them."

"That must mean we're getting close to Camelot!" Karanth was happy for him, but at the same time, she felt a strange sort of sadness. When they reached Camelot, the adventure would be over. She loved travelling with Merlin and Galahad; the two were like brothers to her. She couldn't bear the thought of them splitting up.

"Close enough. There's still the desert to cross, you know, before we even reach the mountains. Ohh," he said, remembering, "and beyond them is the kingdom of Mercia. We'll have to go through Bayard's lands…"

"Is that bad?"

"Very. Ever since Nimueh poisoned a chalice that Bayard was going to give to Arthur, and Uther ended up locking him and his men in the dungeons, he's been rather unfriendly towards Camelot."

"But how will anyone know you're from Camelot?"

"I was there, Karanth. I was the one who accused Bayard, and as a result Uther made me drink the poisoned wine. In Bayard's eyes, it's my fault he ended up in the dungeons."

Merlin ignored the girl's gasp of astonishment and continued.

"If he finds out I'm in Mercia, whatever the circumstances, he'll have me killed before you can blink."

"We can make it," proclaimed Galahad. "Come on― a sorcerer, a thief, and a little girl? Bayard doesn't stand a chance!"


	20. The Lord of Snakes

They still had to get out of the desert. It was only a three-day journey from the oasis, but those three days were excruciatingly hot. At one point, Merlin undid his neckerchief and tied it around his head to shield him from the sun's glare. The waterskins ran dry by the end of the second day, but they soldiered on. The sun beat down, and the sand went on and on seemingly forever.

Merlin felt he couldn't go on much longer. He opened his mouth to express this, but his throat was so dry he couldn't talk. His legs buckled underneath him, and he was enveloped in the comforting darkness of sleep.

And the sun shone mercilessly down on three unconscious figures in the sand.

Merlin dreamed of the moon. She was laughing, laughing her icy, careless laugh. Behind her a figure was slumped against the wall, bound by silver chains. He looked up. There was no mistaking the blond hair, the sapphire eyes. It was Arthur.

Merlin tried to speak, to call out to him, but his voice wasn't working. So instead, the sorcerer ran over to his king, to free him. But as Merlin touched the silver chains, Arthur suddenly dissolved into sand.

Kyannor laughed louder.

Karanth dreamed of Merlin. He was shouting, yelling to her for help, but she couldn't move. Then there were Serkets, they were everywhere, they swarmed around her like vermin. Merlin disappeared into the heaving mass of creatures. She ran, she needed to find him, but although the Serkets moved before her, there was no sign of the warlock. Then the ground gave beneath her feet and she was falling, and below her was her own village, but she knew she would never reach it. She would keep falling forever.

Galahad dreamed of bandits. They were in his village, burning it, destroying it, just as they had before. He watched them helplessly, a twelve-year-old boy, unable to defend his home. He watched as they killed his father before his eyes. His mother took hold of him and led him to a ditch where a brook ran under a bush, and there she hid him.

He never saw her alive again.

Arthur was dreaming, too. But what his nightmare was about, he's never told anyone.

oOo

Merlin woke in a soft bed that was a startling contrast to where he remembered falling asleep. He sat up and found that the room he was in could be compared to Arthur's chambers back in Camelot; it was luxurious. Hung with green and gold drapery, the room was obviously part of a castle or palace of some sort.

The warlock rose from the shockingly soft bed and wandered around the room. It was large, but not vast, and there was little furniture. He looked down and was surprised to discover that he was wearing strange clothing; again mainly green and gold, but made of a rich fabric. There was no sign of his tunic, jacket, neckerchief… or his staff.

He conducted a quick, frantic search of the room, but it was gone. He felt a strange connection to that staff; he didn't know why, but it felt… _right_ , for some reason. And now it was gone.

The sudden sound of the door opening startled Merlin out of his thoughts. A young boy entered the room, carrying a platter of food. He had long, mousy brown hair and eyes of the same colour. Merlin felt as though he recognised him, somehow. The boy wore a green tunic with a gold crest emblazoned on it; a striking snake. It filled Merlin with a strange sense of foreboding.

"Who are you?" the sorcerer asked. "Where am I?"

"My name is Gareth," replied the boy, "and as to where you are, this is the castle of Thrówend. My master's men found you and your companions in the desert, and brought you back here."

"Thrówend…" Much as he hated to admit it, his memories still hadn't come back, and even worse, they had started to slip away again. Merlin felt as though he should know the name Thrówend, but try as he might, he couldn't coax the memory to surface.

"Where are my friends?" he asked instead.

"Down the hall. They have not yet woken." Gareth set down the tray of food and began to leave.

"Wait! I had a staff with me, a long walking-staff. Where is it?"

"I'm not sure, sire. I will ask someone." The boy departed, leaving Merlin standing, confounded, in the middle of the room.

 _Sire?_

Then it struck him. Of course, he was a guest of whatever lord resided in this castle. Gareth was a servant assigned to him. But no matter what the circumstances were, Merlin would never get used to someone calling him 'sire'.

oOo

Karanth had a similar experience. Confused and frightened, she wandered into Merlin's room seeking reassurance. He was sitting on the bed, staring ahead into space, and did not notice her approach. He was dressed strangely, all in green and gold. Well, she was, too, but the dress she had been wearing before was green anyway.

"Merlin?" she called. He looked over at her in surprise.

"Karanth? I don't suppose _you_ remember anything that happened after the desert?"

"No."

"Well, apparently we're guests of someone called Thrówend; he's the lord of this castle. I suppose his emblem must be the snake…" Merlin broke off. He could feel memories trying to resurface, filling him with an odd feeling of dread… The sorcerer gasped as stars suddenly blossomed in his vision.

 _A snake. A snake preparing to strike, its scales green and its eyes gold. A man, with straggly brown hair and an evil glitter in his black eyes. He reminded Merlin of someone, who was it?_

 _Cenred._

Merlin doubled forward as the vision ended, leaving him breathless. That man could have been Cenred's brother, he was so like him. The same aura of evil surrounded them both.

"Merlin? Are you alright?" Karanth asked. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Some sort of… vision."

"Like a memory?" Karanth wasn't stupid; she knew the warlock had been struggling to keep his memories stable.

"I don't think so… if it was a memory, it wasn't mine."

oOo

Galahad couldn't find anyone. He wandered around the castle in vain, trying to locate his friends, but none of the servants were of any use whatsoever. Nevertheless, he kept on, until he finally came across a small, mousy-looking boy.

"Hello," he said in an attempt at friendliness, though his patience was wearing thin.

"Sire. May I be of assistance?"

"Yes," Galahad said, trying to keep his temper in check. "Where are my friends?"

"Oh, I think they'll be in the Great Hall by now," the boy said. "Thrówend is throwing a feast in honour of the new year; it's the year of the snake, you know."

"Fascinating," Galahad said. "I didn't get your name."

"Gareth, Sire."

"Well, Gareth, my name is Galahad. Not Sire. And I'd like you to call me such."

"Yes, Galahad."

"Thank you," Galahad threw over his shoulder as he ran off towards the Great Hall. He slipped in quietly, seating himself next to Merlin, who looked more uncomfortable than he'd ever seen him.

"What's the matter with you?" the brigand whispered. "You look like you've been kicked by a horse."

"Sorry," the warlock muttered. "This is the first time I've ever been at a feast to, well, eat."

"What else do you _do_ at a feast?"

"Make sure the king's cup doesn't run dry," Merlin said sheepishly.

"You're a servant?" The idea surprised him. He'd always imagined that in his homeland Merlin would hold some high position, perhaps Court Sorcerer or some such. But a simple servant? Galahad had seen the power the warlock possessed; he could do great things. Terrible things.

He was startled out of his reverie by Thrówend standing to address the court.

"My friends," he said, in a smooth, lilting voice, "Today we celebrate the coming year, which, as you know, shall be the year of the snake…"

Galahad looked next to him and was shocked to see Merlin's expression, Thrówend's voice seemed to have triggered something in him. His eyes stared straight ahead without seeing anything, and his mouth was open in shock.

The brigand looked around quickly to see if anyone else had noticed. Everyone's attention was focussed on the lord of the castle, luckily, not the young sorcerer's affliction. Galahad wished there was something he could do, but he had no idea what was going on in Merlin's head.

oOo

Merlin watched as Thrówend stood and began to speak, and voice of the lord hit him like a punch to the jaw. Involuntarily, his neck snapped forward, and the room faded to nothing as the vision was thrust upon him.

 _He looked into the scrying bowl and saw the image he most despised; how had the black-haired servant eluded him? He would have to do something; if Arthur's servant ever got back to Camelot, he might take it back with the help of Emrys._

 _Merlin went out to the makeshift stables behind the hovel and mounted his horse, preparing to ride to the land beyond the White Mountains. Thrówend's lands. The journey was long and hard, but nothing could stand in the way of a High Priestess of the Old Religion._

 _He approached Thrówend, and began to put his eloquence and cunning to good use. He told the Lord of Snakes, Cenred's brother, that Arthur had sent out a spy by the name of Merlin, that he would pretend to be lost in the desert so as to infiltrate his lands._

 _Thrówend lapped up his lies, he was convinced._ Finally _, Merlin thought,_ I will be rid of this troublesome servant. _He smirked, and as he turned to leave, caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His own green eyes stared back at him from its depths._

Reality crashed back around him. Breathing hard, he tried to make sense of the vision. It was a memory, but not his own. He had been someone else, and he knew who it was, too.

Morgana.


	21. Serpents

"Get them!" screamed Thrówend as Merlin, Galahad and Karanth raced out of the hall. Merlin ducked under a stray javelin and sprinted for the double doors that marked the way out. _That definitely could have gone better,_ thought the warlock. Only a few minutes before, the banquet had been entirely peaceful. And now… well…

He tumbled through the doorway just as the huge doors fell into place behind him. Now they were on the stone bridge that connected the castle to the craggy cliffs of the White Mountains; for the Lord of Snakes had built his castle on a spur of rock next to the cliffs. It was the perfect place for a fortress.

Merlin made the mistake of looking over the edge and started to feel sick. Normally, he was fine with heights, but there was a difference between riding on the back of a dragon, having the time of his life, and knowing that Kilgharrah would catch him if he fell; and running at full speed across a narrow bridge where a fall meant certain death.

"Quickly!" yelled Thrówend. "The portcullis!" The portcullis, a large gate of iron at the far end of the bridge, started to slowly lower. Merlin paled. If they didn't make it, he wasn't sure he could use his magic to escape; for iron was the only substance that could nullify his magic.

He ran faster.

Galahad got there first, and rolled under the sharp spikes of the portcullis with an elaborate and possibly unnecessary series of manoeuvres. Next Karanth slid under the heavy iron mechanism, cheering at her luck.

Merlin sprinted for the gate; he was almost there, he was going to make it―

 _Clang._

He stared in disbelief, because there he was, he was trapped, he was _on the wrong side of the bars._ Merlin clutched at the iron gate in a futile effort to get through. Galahad and Karanth were yelling his name, calling for him. _Merlin, what the hell do you think you're doing? Use your magic! Hurry!_ He barely heard them over the beat of his own heart, which seemed strangely loud all of a sudden.

"You," hissed Thrówend. He said nothing more, but Merlin could tell from his voice that he was angry beyond reason. He wanted blood. The warlock slowly turned to face him, so many emotions clouding his thoughts that he didn't even know what he was feeling. Scared? _Oh, yes._ Angry? _Not really._ Mystified? _Without a shadow of a doubt_. But oddly, the most overwhelming emotion there was… pity.

" _Ic bebéodan þú æt béon sé snaca!_ " Thrówend said the spell before Merlin could register that he had done more than point his hand towards the sorcerer. He felt the burst of magic strike him, felt a deeper intention woven into the lord's spell. He sensed Thrówend's will trying to overcome his own.

What was happening?

The ground came up to meet him as he fell; he couldn't move. His limbs weren't responding. The world was growing dimmer, perhaps bigger, he couldn't tell. Before he knew what was happening, Merlin was on the other side of the portcullis. How had he managed that?

Karanth looked scared, Galahad murderous. Thrówend laughed from far away. Merlin tried to speak but the sound of his voice was alien to his ears; all he could manage was a faint hissing noise.

He didn't remember what happened after.

oOo

Karanth was absolutely miserable. This was by far the worst that had happened, she thought as she ran after Galahad. She looked down at the snake she carried with her; he looked back with intelligent blue eyes. His scales were a deep black with a gold stripe down the back, and somehow the effect managed to make him recognisable to her.

They finally stopped in a clearing within the alpine forest, probably because even Galahad knew they could not run forever.

"What do we do?" Karanth asked, voice shaky.

"We find a way to change him back," he replied. Determined though he was to achieve this, Karanth doubted he knew how; but before she could voice her opinion, a voice broke into their conversation.

 _I believe I can help you there._

"It's you," Karanth breathed, recognising the voice's owner.

 _Yes,_ the Fateseeker said. _It is I._ Galahad drew his sword and stood in front of Karanth and Merlin protectively, but the apparition seemed to disregard this.

"You can help him? You can… change him back?" Karanth asked in a wobbly voice.

 _Yes. But you must give me something in return._

"What… what is it?"

 _I am about to do you a service. When the time comes, I will expect the same of you._

"So… just do you a favour when you ask for it?"

 _That is all._

"Alright," Karanth said doubtfully. "I suppose."

"Karanth! We've no idea what he'll ask!" Galahad was panicking.

"I don't care. This is for Merlin." She held out the snake, and the Fateseeker whispered something intelligible. There was a flash of darkness, and Merlin lay gasping on the ground. The Fateseeker had vanished, but he had left behind him a token of the deal: Merlin's staff.

"What happened?" Merlin asked, looking around confusedly.

"He turned you into a snake," Galahad said bluntly.

"W-what?"

"We changed you back, though. And got your staff back," Karanth added.

"But… how?"

"A creepy-looking fellow with no eyes turned up out of the blue," Galahad explained, "and said he'd turn you back in exchange for a favour."

"The _Fateseeker?_ " Merlin exclaimed. The name seemed to echo with a surreal vibe.

"Did you know him?"

"You shouldn't have trusted him, he's a murderer!"

Galahad opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again as his face turned skyward. Merlin and Karanth did the same, their eyes wide with shock.

Night had fallen… in the middle of the day.

oOo

Morgana woke to a piercing pain in her head; it was like there was someone else looking at her thoughts. She got up and washed, wondering what the cause of the headache could be. It only got worse with every passing minute. She went down to fetch her breakfast, but collapsed halfway, head spinning.

 _She was falling, falling so fast and so far, she feared she would never land. But land she did, and she looked up through a haze of pain at a girl's face, wrinkled with concern. She was quite sure she'd never seen the girl before, though._

 _Morgana woke to see the same girl speaking to her._

" _Woah," the girl said, "how long have you been awake?"_

" _I don't know," Morgana replied, voice hoarse. "A few minutes. Who… who are you?"_

" _Oh, my name is Karanth. What about you?"_

" _I'm Merlin," replied Morgana._

She sat up so fast that she got light-headed. She knew, with absolute certainty, that she had just experienced one of Merlin's memories. How, or why, she had no idea, but one thing was clear.

She could use this against him.

It occurred to her that if she could see his memories, perhaps Merlin could see hers… no, that was impossible. The bond between them was clearly magical, and Merlin didn't have magic. He was one of the few people, Morgana scoffed, that could _never,_ under _any_ circumstances, even be _suspected_ of having magic. And after all, he was Arthur's servant. Nobody of that position could ever have magic.

So why did she feel uneasy?


	22. Riddle

**Sorry for the delay! I typed the first draft of this on a** ** _typewriter,_** **of all things. Then things kept getting in the way, not one of which being the fact that I rewrote bits of the chapter at least six times. Also, WEast brought to light the subject that I had been waiting for someone to question: Merlin's feelings towards the Fateseeker. Yes, he is being extreme in his hatred for the guy, but come on! THE DUDE HAS NO EYES! He is** ** _freaky_** **! And after all, if you'd been flung halfway around the world and ended up in a strange land with a moon goddess who wants to kill you and a creepy guy with no eyes, and then find out that said creepy guy suggested the murder of your father, maybe you'd distrust the creepy guy too. Anyway, enjoy the chapter (and don't hate me for beating up Merlin, whom I do not own)!**

Merlin ran for all he was worth. He didn't stop; even though he was tired, thirsty, longing for a rest, he kept on. The others were well ahead of him now, and the moon drew ever closer behind him.

His head began to spin, and he recognised the beginning of a vision. _Not here,_ he pleaded, _not now._ He fell to his knees, clutching at his head with both hands, and then…

 _He was sitting on the throne of Camelot, listening to a messenger from Thrówend. He felt rage bubbling up inside him at every word the messenger spoke._

" _I'm sorry, my lady, but he escaped… he must have had a warning of some sort…"_

" _I don't want to hear your excuses!" he shouted. "If Merlin makes it back to Camelot, he'll bring Emrys with him. And if that happens, I won't have any use for you or your king." The messenger swallowed; even Thrówend feared the wrath of the lady Morgana._

" _Find him," Merlin said softly, "and kill him."_

Suddenly, he was plunged back into his own body. His head still ached, though. He got to his feet shakily, and then remembered his current situation. Merlin forced his head to turn.

Kyannor was closing in on him. He couldn't have been out for very long, but long enough for her to catch up. Her Dire-wolves raced at her side, snapping ferociously. In her physical form, she could run only as fast as a mortal, but that was still fast enough to catch Merlin; the goddess never tired.

Merlin tried to run again, but the Dire-wolves crashed through the trees ahead of him, blocking his path. Looking to either side, he spotted the wolves lined up all around him, closing him in.

That's when the falcons came.

Screeching in rage, they came down upon the wolves like a maelstrom of feathery fury. Merlin fell forward, ducking under the fighting, and started to crawl away. Unfortunately, Kyannor noticed.

"You fools! He's escaping!" The Dire-wolves were, however, in no condition to chase after him. Suddenly, the largest of the falcons, a beautiful golden bird, flew at the goddess's face. Whilst she was distracted, Merlin climbed to his feet and ran.

Before he had made it quite to safety, one of the Dire-wolves leapt at him. The golden falcon seemingly came from nowhere and battled it off, then swooped around the fleeing sorcerer in a motion that suggested protection.

Then, to Merlin's astonishment, it spoke:

"Flee, my lord! We cannot hold them off forever!" Merlin didn't have time to think about what had just occurred. He took off in the direction of the alpine forest ahead. The falcon followed. As soon as he had reached the trees, the falcon gave a shrill call and his people rose as one into the air, and departed as quickly as they had come.

"Thank you," Merlin said breathily, "for helping me."

"You are Lord Emrys, and you were in danger. My people long for the day when magic is restored to the kingdom, and we may return."

"You were driven out?"

"Yes, my lord. By Uther Pendragon."

"I'm sorry."

"There is no need, my lord. We believe in the future you will bring." Merlin smiled; he was pretty sure he'd heard those words before, but they hadn't been directed at him.

"What's your name?"

"I am called Riddle."

"Thank you, Riddle. For more than just driving off the wolves." The falcon looked pleased. Just then, Galahad and Karanth burst through the shrubbery, looking harried.

"There you are!" Galahad cried. "I thought you were gone for good― why do you have a falcon on your shoulder?"

"This is Riddle. He saved me." The bird gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"I think we should leave," Karanth said. "Kyannor will send out the Dire-wolves to search for us."

"I must depart, my lord," Riddle said, "but I think that we may meet again."

"Goodbye, Riddle." Without quite knowing why, he added, "May the wind bear you across the land wherever you may wish to go."

"Thank you, my lord," Riddle replied, before spreading his wings and taking off into the lightening sky.

"What did he say?" Karanth asked.

"You heard him, didn't you?"

"We heard some screeches, but that's it." Galahad said.

"Why… why am I the only one who could understand him?"

"Well," Karanth said quietly, "he _was_ a merlin falcon…"

Merlin stared up at the golden speck in the vast reaches of the sky until he could no longer see it. Even as they ran, his gaze still played across the infinite sky in search of Riddle.

oOo

"Well, here we are," Merlin said, plastering a huge, fake smile across his face. "Welcome to Mercia!" Galahad, hand on his sword hilt, gazed warily from left to right as though he expected Bayard's men to jump out at them right then.

"Why is Mercia so _creepy?_ " Karanth asked, gesturing at the dark trees.

"I don't know," Merlin said. "It just is." He had been aiming for a much wittier response, but the gentle throbbing at the base of his skull had magnified into an intense headache, and speaking seemed like too much effort. So the threesome began the journey across Mercia.

Naturally they got attacked before they were halfway through. By this time, Merlin's headache was so bad he could hardly think straight. In fact, it took Galahad yelling, "Ambush!" to alert him to the fact that they were now surrounded by Mercians. When the fight actually started, though, it sounded… fuzzy. Hazy, even.

Too late, he realised what was going on. The vision felt different this time, though. That was his last thought as he tumbled to the ground.

 _He was in the throne room of Camelot. It was empty except for him, and he wondered where everyone was. Looking down, he was surprised to see that this time, he was in his own body._

" _Merlin?" A voice, laden with shock and anger. Morgana's voice. "How… how are you here? You can't be here!"_

" _What have you done, Morgana?"_

" _No. You, you tell me, right now… WHERE IS EMRYS?"_

" _I don't know anyone called Emrys."_

" _LIAR!" Her green eyes were on fire. Her voice dripped with hatred._

" _Please, Morgana, look what you've done…" She hesitated. Light dawned in her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, Merlin saw the Morgana that he used to know. But in the next instant it was gone, replaced by the cold fire of her bitterness._

" _How did you do this? How are you… inside my mind?" She shook her head. "This is Emrys's work, I can feel it. WELL, IT WON'T WORK!" She thrust out her hand and her eyes turned a molten gold. Merlin was flung back against the wall, and although he was not really there, he still felt the blow._

" _You shouldn't even be able to remember who I am," she said. "I took your memories, and yet you still manage to thwart me!" Just as Merlin got up, she sent him flying again._

" _TELL ME WHERE EMRYS IS!"_

" _I don't know what you're talking about!"_

" _Merlin, you should know better than to lie to me." But now she was fading, the entire room was fading and then it was gone as Merlin awoke._

Galahad and Karanth were nowhere to be seen. But, he realised with a start, he knew where he was. Unfortunately.

He was in the dungeons of Mercia.

oOo

"My lord," said the man in front of him, "We have captured three travellers who were making their way through Mercia. Ordinary enough, it seems, but one of them fits your description of the servant who framed you for poisoning Prince Arthur's goblet, a few years ago."

"I remember," Bayard said slowly. "Merlin, his name was. Gangly little fellow, all arms and legs. Shockingly stupid for a servant to the Prince."

"Your orders, sire?"

"Ordinarily I'd say kill the little brat. But now, it seems, we have the perfect peace offering for the new neighbours."

"You wish to turn him over to the Lady Morgana, sire?"

"I hope she will be pleased."

"It is.. odd though, sire," the man said hesitatingly.

"What is?"

"Well, my lord, when we found them, the servant, Merlin, was unconscious. We've no idea why. He seemed to have just… collapsed. He's still not awake…"

"Doesn't matter," Bayard said, a smirk spreading on his face. "I'm certain Morgana will be happy to see him, awake or not."


	23. Journey's End?

"ARRRRRRRRGH!" The servant ducked as Morgana, in her rage, sent a chair flying across the room. It hit the opposite wall and splintered into a million fragments of wood. "EMRYS!" She stood, panting, letting rational thought return to her. The servant whimpered in fear and huddled in the corner; she still hadn't dismissed him.

Merlin had been… inside her mind. She could still feel him, his presence was hovering at the edges of her consciousness. How it was even possible, she had but one explanation: Emrys.

Without warning, she was engulfed in a wave of fear that did not belong to her. Though she was still in her own body, she could hear voices, distantly whispering on the wind…

 _Don't worry, Karanth. We'll find a way out of this._

 _Why didn't he just kill us?_

 _Bayard is nothing if not honourable. He'd prefer to just return us to Camelot… even though he knows what will happen when we get there, at least he won't have the blood on his hands._

 _I know, but… Merlin? What's wrong?_

 _I-I don't know, there's just something… like there's someone listening…_

The voices faded. Morgana straightened, a smile forming on her face.

"Bayard! So, they decided to go through Mercia… well, at least our neighbours know where their loyalties lie… you!" she shouted at the servant, who was trying desperately to sink into the floor.

"Y-y-yes, m-milady?" the servant asked in a trembling voice.

"Tell the chief of the Bloodguard that my old friend Bayard of Mercia is bringing us a housewarming gift… by the name of Merlin."

oOo

When Merlin saw the towering spires in the distance, he was almost knocked over by the sudden flow of memory. By this time, it was all he could do to hang on to _my name is Merlin, I live in Camelot and I'm Arthur's servant._ He was repeating it over and over in his head. _I'm destined to protect Arthur. I am the greatest warlock ever to walk the earth. I can't tell the clotpole 'cos he'd have me executed._

But at the sight of the shining citadel (a little bit broken from Morgana's attack), he was almost overwhelmed by the sudden shock of memory that was triggered.

"Keep moving," grumbled the Mercian that was restraining him, and shoved him half-heartedly. The poor fellow looked like he hadn't been at all sparse with the pound cakes recently, and was decidedly weary from the long trek to Camelot. Merlin found himself feeling more sorry for the Mercian then he was for himself at the moment; at least dying wasn't this exerting. Usually.

As they were paraded through the lower town on the way to the citadel, Merlin tried to convey to all of the haggard faces watching the procession some feeling of hope. Perhaps his own situation was too dire to spark any semblance of hope in anyone else; seeing as it was tough enough to feel it himself.

Before he knew it, he was being roughly shoved through the two doors that stood in the entrance to the great hall. In front of him, on Camelot's throne, sat Morgana Pendragon. She looked different. There was something in her expression; something very out of place. It was… _fear_ , Merlin realised. He didn't know where it had come from, but it was definitely there. He allowed himself a small smile, and Morgana paled.

"My lady," Bayard said stiffly. Merlin had forgotten he was there. "I bring you a peace offering in this servant, whom I know you have been… _missing_." Morgana nodded nervously and waved him off. He looked chagrined that he had not been able to display more of his wit, but nevertheless took his men and left; the rather plump fellow from earlier contorting his features into an expression of horror at the thought of the walk back to Mercia.

"So," Morgana said, hiding the fear behind contempt, "What took you so long?" Merlin stared at her stonily. "I mean it's taken you almost a year," she said flatly. "It's just about Samhain again."

"A… a _year?_ "

"Didn't you realise? Oh, but I forgot, you were off gallivanting with Galahad and Karanth here." Merlin's face must have shown his shock, because she laughed icily. "Yes, I know who they are. I know everything you've done, everywhere you been. I _am_ a High Priestess, after all."

She was bluffing. There was no way she could have known that, even as a High Priestess. Scrying only worked if you already knew where the subject was. Spies would have taken too long to return. How did she know?

Before either of them could utter a word, the doors burst open to reveal a figure. A strikingly familiar figure.

"Arthur?"

The king looked up. His eyes were silver.

oOo

"My lady Morgana," Arthur said in a voice that was not his own, "Don't you recognise your brother when you see him? I am not Arthur." Morgana stood shakily, breathing hard. There was no question of her fear now.

"Who are you?" she breathed.

"My name is Kyannor, and I am goddess of the Moon. There is no need to fear me, Morgana. I am only using your brother because he was… a convenient receptacle." Arthur smiled coldly. "I believe we have a similar aim, milady."

"And what is that?" The fear had changed to a nervous sort of hopefulness.

"The destruction," Arthur said as he looked straight at Merlin, "of the sorcerer Emrys."

"You know who he is!" Although it was posed as a question, her tone portrayed that she already knew the answer.

"Yes," Arthur murmured. "Yes, I do."

"Then, by all means, tell me!"

 _It is time._ The Fateseeker's voice rang out cold and clear in the stone hall. _It is time._ Echoing now, like there was more space then the room contained. _It is time._ And then, all five of them found themselves elsewhere.

Merlin gasped, for he knew this place. The barren, snowy mountaintop. The circle of weathered stones. The storm raging all around.

It was the place from his dream.


	24. Three Words to Make an End

**"** **No, no, no… this can't be happening!" Merlin stepped back and slipped on the wet stone. Catching himself in the nick of time, he stared down at the precipice below him.** ** _That was close._**

 **"** **You will regret this betrayal, Fateseeker!" yelled a voice that was Arthur's, and yet not Arthur's. Merlin turned and saw that the five of them stood, each at a regular interval, forming a circle. The circle of five stones surrounded them, and he realised that from above, the resulting shape was in the form of a pentagram, or a star.**

 ** _It is my duty to seek out the future that Albion needs, and to set her on that path. You know this, Kyannor._**

 **"** **But you are too late! Behold, the power of the moon!" As Arthur spoke, the clouds directly above parted, showing the full moon positioned directly above the mountaintop. Merlin felt a wave of magic pulse out from the Moon Goddess. He tried to move, to do something, but her magic froze him in place.**

 **He could not break the star.**

 **Arthur gasped suddenly, and his eyes faded back to blue. He blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of his surroundings. But before anyone could try to explain, a brilliant beam of silver light shot down from the moon into the middle of the pentagram. Kyannor floated in the centre, eyes ablaze.**

 **"** ** _Eternal night shall reign!_** **"** **she screeched, and above them the moon turned blood-red, as did the beam of light. Shining threads of energy leapt from stone to person, person to stone, completing the star shape. Merlin tried once more to break the shape, but the Moon's magic was too powerful. He could feel her leeching his own power, draining his life force, but he could do nothing.**

 **"** **Merlin!" screamed Karanth. Galahad retained a stoic silence, shooting his friend a glance as if to say goodbye. Morgana looked, enraged, at everyone in the circle, trying various enchantments to escape. Arthur just stared uncomprehendingly.**

 ** _You must overcome her, Emrys,_** **whispered the Fateseeker.**

 **"** **Why should I trust you? You tried to get Gaius to kill my father!"**

 ** _I did. Your father's death would have stopped the Great Purge from happening. It would have saved many lives._**

 **"** **And I… I wouldn't have been born."**

 ** _I did not foresee your birth, Emrys._**

 **"** **What?"**

 ** _Gaius changed the path of Destiny. Many roads could have been taken, but I failed to see yours. The golden path you and Arthur shall forge together; it was Gaius's choice that made it so._**

 **"** **I suppose… you're right."**

 ** _Trust me, Emrys. You have the power to overcome Kyannor the Moon._**

 **Merlin felt the Fateseeker's presence fade, though his words still rang in the warlock's ears. Taking a deep breath, he reached within himself and called on his magic. Mustering all of his strength, he fought the Moon's spell.**

 **It wasn't enough!**

 **He was growing weaker now; Karanth and Arthur didn't even look to be entirely lucid anymore. Galahad and Morgana still fought it out, but their struggles were growing sluggish as well. Merlin reached deeper into the well of his magic, he had to save his friends―**

 **He felt a sudden rush of power. His eyes flew open, and he shouted in a voice that shook the very stones beneath his feet,**

 **"** ** _ **Ende sé bealu ellencræft sé móna drýhþ gereccan, ond áhreddan ús beinnan sé steorra!**_** **"**

 **There was a blinding light, and Merlin felt Kyannor's power snap. She screamed, a long, hideous sound, and the moon turned dark overhead. Kyannor was gone. Instantly, all five of them collapsed, exhausted. Morgana, Karanth, and Arthur were all unconscious. Galahad clung to awareness with a grim sort of resignation. Merlin could feel sleep beginning to lap at him like a black wave, and he wearily succumbed to it.**

 **When he woke, he was in the throne room of Camelot, beside all three of his friends, who were still slumbering peacefully. He glimpsed movement in the corner of his eye, and turned just in time to see Morgana perform a hurried spell of transportation. It was just as well; he was still too spent to have done anything to prevent her escape.**

 **He rolled over, and his leg brushed against something. He put his hand down to feel what it was and it came back holding… his staff. Now where had that come from? The thing was following him around. Pushing that slightly disturbing thought aside, he clambered to his feet.**

 **Leaving his friends to sleep, he journeyed down to the dungeons where he presumed he would find most of the knights. As he walked, he recalled his dream. Perhaps that had only been one possible destiny, like the Fateseeker had said. And he had managed to change it.**

 **"** **M-Merlin?" It was Guinevere's voice.**

 **"** **Gwen!"He grabbed the keys from where they hung on the wall and started to unlock the cell door.**

 **"** **Merlin, please, it's A-Arthur… he's not―"**

 **"** **Calm down, Gwen. He's fine. Morgana is gone and Camelot is safe." There was a whooping cheer from the next cell over, and Gwaine's head came into view.**

 **"** **Alright, Merlin!" Gaius sighed from somewhere nearby.**

 **"** **I do hope, Merlin, that you're going to tell us exactly what happened and not leave us all in this agonising state of suspense."**

 **"** **Oh, em… that's going to take a while."**

 **"** **I should think so. You've been gone a year!"**

 **"** **I have?" He had half-hoped Morgana had been lying about that bit.**

 **"** **You can tell us all later. Where's Arthur?"**

 **"** **He's in the throne room, with Galahad and Karanth. I'll show you."**

 **Gaius paused, confused, but then shook himself and followed the young sorcerer as he bounded up the stairs, having opened all the cells. When they got there, Galahad had awakened and was trying to rouse Karanth. Arthur was sitting in the throne, head in his hands.**

 **"** **Arthur?" The king looked up, staring at his servant blankly. Merlin walked over to him. "Don't worry, Morgana's gone. We've taken Camelot back, we even vanquished Kyannor (though she is an immortal goddess so she'll probably be back). Aren't you happy?**

 ** _He should be,_** **Merlin thought.** ** _Everything's alright now, I saved the day. Like always. So what's wrong?_**

 **Everything was over. Morgana: defeated. Kyannor: vanquished. The Fateseeker: too complicated to explain. There was nothing else… was there?**

 **Arthur lifted his head from his hands and stared at Merlin. And as the king spoke the three words that broke Merlin's heart, he knew things would never be the same again. The blood was pumping in his ears; there was no way he could have said that. Nothing that could allow this moment to ever happen…**

 **Three words was all it took to send Merlin's world crashing down around him. Three words, and the blank expression Arthur had been giving him ever since he'd walked in.**

 **And the three words fell from Arthur's lips as surely as the tears fell from Merlin's eyes.**

 **"** **Who are you?"**

 **And Merlin could hear the Fateseeker's voice once more:**

 ** _Before it's too late_**

 ** _Return from Death's gate_**

 ** _Your shield is my lies_**

 ** _Through which Fate shall rise…_**

 **TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE FATESEEKER SERIES**

 ***Spell translation: End the evil power the moon does thou wield, and free us in the star.**


End file.
